Prologue

A place where all the world’s negative energy swirled and the very ground withered… A forsaken place where no living thing could survive… The World’s Landfill.

Some time had passed since the young male Demon learned of Yuuya’s existence, and once again, that Demon summoned the others to him.

“…It is unusual for us to be summoned so often,” a nervous Demon, the one who’d arrived first, muttered in a soft voice. “But will the others even come? They didn’t respond to the last summons, either…”

“…Whether they come or not, it is nothing to worry about.”

“…!”

The nervous Demon whirled around at the sound of the voice, instantly spotting the young male Demon.

At the same time, he noticed the young male Demon’s behavior was odd in some way.

A similar change had occurred immediately following the death of the young Demon boy Cuaro.

“What…? You seem to have gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you.”

The nervous Demon was overwhelmed by the oppressive aura emanating from the young male Demon.

The quality of the power the young male Demon wielded had improved significantly compared to before.

The nervous Demon came to a sudden realization.

“Could it be…? Have others been taken out, too…?”

There had been several gatherings of their kind in the World’s Landfill, but the only ones who consistently appeared were the young male Demon, the nervous Demon, and Cuaro…who was no more.

It was not as if those three were the only accumulations of pure evil that existed in the world. Many Demons roamed the world, doing as they pleased.

Which was why the nervous Demon now suspected those other Demons had all been wiped out.

But…

“Oh, them? Yeah…I killed them all.”

“Wha—?”

The nervous Demon was rendered speechless by the young male’s unexpected, glib comment.

“Killed them…? Are you insane?! We already lost Cuaro! Our fighting power has been diminished! And yet you…”

“Well, I figured something out.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter how hard we try together. We’ll be eliminated, just like Cuaro. It’s not collective power we need. It’s absolute power.”

The young male continued, oblivious to the nervous Demon’s consternation.

“When Cuaro died, I absorbed his power. But it wasn’t enough. The human who killed Cuaro has power we never anticipated. We need absolute power…enough to kill him and bring all the humans under our control. The Deities, as well. We need one warrior with incredible power…not a ragtag bunch of Demons banded together. So I figured I’d step up and become that warrior…and bulldoze my way through everything!”

“Have you completely lost it?! So you…”

“You’ve got it right. I killed all the other Demons and absorbed their powers. And now you’re the last.”

“Curses!”

The nervous Demon backed away from the young male Demon, quickly gathering some arcane black mist and transforming it into a giant spear. The spear went flying toward the young male Demon.

The spear shot through the air with terrifying speed and power. But the young male Demon didn’t even attempt to evade it.

The moment the spear made contact with the young male Demon…it instantly turned back into black mist and dissipated harmlessly.

“What?! How can that be?!”

“You see, I’ve become so powerful as a Demon that I’ve ascended way above your level. Your attacks will leave barely a scratch.”

The nervous Demon, hearing this, realized he had no chance of winning. Quickly conjuring a cloud of black mist, he tried to make a hasty exit.

However…

“Huh?!”

The black mist the nervous Demon had desperately conjured had once again disappeared…and was now gathered around the young male Demon.

“I told you. My power is far greater than yours. What this means is all the power derived from the world’s evil will be drawn to me. You no longer have any Demon powers to use against me.”

“But… But that’s not possible…”

Faced with a power so great he was powerless before it, the nervous Demon was flabbergasted. The young male Demon smiled.

“But it would wound me to have to kill and dispose of you after we’ve come this far together. So you can have… I know, you can have a special look at the incredible power I now wield as the Ultimate Evil!”

“Gah…!”

The thick black mist that had been floating around the young male Demon suddenly began to undulate and transform into the shape of hands—many hands—appearing to protrude from the young male Demon’s back.

And what’s more, each of those hands grasped a different weapon.

The nervous Demon spotted something he recognized, and his eyes went wide.

“Th-those weapons…! Aren’t they the weapons of Fallen Deities?!”

“Precisely. While I was taking out the Demons, I also killed all the Fallen Deities. Ah, that was an unexpected harvest! So now as you can see, I’ve acquired the abilities of the Fallen Deities as well.”

Each individual Demon possessed their own overwhelming power. To fight against them, the humans had bestowed the title of Deity upon those who mastered skills in various fields.

But this young male Demon now had the skills and techniques the Deities had acquired, in addition to his own amazing powers. He truly was the Ultimate Evil…

“Now you can leave the rest of the crusade in my hands and…disappear.”

“C-curses!!!”

The nervous Demon threw the last dregs of his remaining power at his opponent.

But the jet-black spear the young male Demon flung back at him easily skewered him.

“Guh…!”

The nervous Demon, pierced through the stomach and no longer able to move, simply gazed at the young male Demon, whose eyes glowered with bloodlust.

“D-damn you! How could you…do this…?”

“Oh, put a sock in it. Just lie down and become my food already.”

At that moment, a black mist swirled at the feet of the nervous Demon, then grew and took the shape of wide-open jaws… It then devoured the nervous Demon whole.

“Gaaahhh!!!”

The nervous Demon shrieked horribly as the air filled with the sound of rending flesh, cracking bones, and monstrous chewing.

Eventually, the terrible noises tapered off, the black mist vanished, and the young male Demon, looking down at his body, made a noise of surprise.

“Whoa! Hey!”

The negative energy swirling throughout the World’s Landfill had slowly begun to accumulate around him.

In fact, all the negative energy all over the world was, even now, being drawn to the young male Demon.

It surrounded him until he was completely engulfed in a jet-black sphere.

Eventually, a crack appeared in the sphere, and the Demon emerged from within it.

He now had long, dark, tentacle-like tendrils of hair that seemed capable of drawing anything nearby into their orbit, and he had eyes like black holes. He no longer resembled a young man.

The Demon power seemed to leak faintly from his body. The young male Demon looked down at his new form and examined his hands.

“…Yeah. It seems my hunch was right, all along.”

The Demon gathered some of his power into the palm of his hand, and a jet-black sphere the size of a marble formed upon it.

He flung the marble casually away, and a thunderous rumble shook the World’s Landfill.

“…Hmm. It seems my power is not yet completely absorbed.” The young male Demon narrowed his eyes at the sky and cackled. “Just you wait, little fly in the ointment… I will destroy you until not even a trace of you remains. But as a first step…I think I’ll drop in for a quick visit in that land where Cuaro was killed.”

Having evolved into his final form, Avis, the God of Destruction, vanished in an instant, as though his body had melted away.

Chapter 1: A Naive Training Session

A few days after the defeat of Cuaro—one of the Demons.

Just like Master Rabbit said, my training has become more hardcore than ever before.

“Ten Thousand Spears!”

“Hmph!”

I call on my Demon power and use the spear techniques I acquired during my battle with the Deity of Spears.

Thanks to my newly awakened power—Demon Sight—I’m able to wield the spear techniques. But neither are reflected in my stats. It seems I acquired them as unique skills.

Using my new abilities, I unleash multiple attacks against Master Rabbit.

But Master Rabbit, seeming hardly perturbed, easily parries all my blows with his feet.

“W-wait, seriously?!”

“You think you can get your attack to land without using Infuse Magic? Come on, you need to focus more…”

“Whoa!”

Master Rabbit evades my attack, then zooms right up to me, delivering a merciless kick to my face.

I manage to avoid it by leaning backward, and then I counter, kicking Master Rabbit up into the sky.

“Hmm?!” Master Rabbit, seemingly impressed by my moves, lets out a grunt of admiration, but then uses my kick as a sort of launching pad to put some distance between us. “Before, it took everything you had to avoid my attacks, but now you’re really socking it to me… It seems you’ve grown.”

“I… I guess I have.”

Not that I have even a shred of self-confidence. I mean, all my attacks are being parried, so I don’t feel like I’ve improved at all. I know my attacks won’t hit unless I use Infuse Magic, but one of the goals of training is to increase my natural strength, so I’m basically trying to get by without it.

“Well, good. But spears and kicks… That’s no different from the training we’ve been doing up until now, you know?”

“…I know.”

I put away the Absolute Spear I’ve been holding and take out my Omnisword. Then…

“One Slash!”

“…!”

By applying the kicking technique I learned to my step, I approach Master Rabbit at high speed and slash sideways at him with the Omnisword.

This is one of the Deity of Swords techniques Iris taught me. I give the attack all I’ve got, and for the first time in today’s training session, Master Rabbit doesn’t just parry my attack but seeks to evade it instead.

Only, I’m not done attacking yet.

“Heavenly Tornado!”

“What?!”

Another of the Deity of Swords techniques. It whips up a tornado of slashing attacks when I swing the sword upward.

Iris taught me this technique, but I still can’t create a tornado as big as hers. Still, if I unleash it at close range, even Master Rabbit won’t be able to avoid it.

“Hmm… Interesting.”

“Huh?!”

However, seeing my use of this technique, Master Rabbit grins in a terrible way that is quite uncharacteristic of a rabbit and uses his feet to blast away the approaching tornado of slashing attacks.

“Unfortunately, you still have a long way to go.”

“That’s for sure…!”

“Hmm?!”

Master Rabbit seemed to think I was done, but I’ve been saving the best for last!

This is a particularly powerful technique among those Iris taught me. By which I mean…

“Heavenly Slash!”

While Master Rabbit was fighting the tornado of slashes, I’d adjusted my position and taken a big step forward, just like with One Slash.

The attack has a large windup to it, so usually Master Rabbit would be able to avoid it easily. But Master Rabbit has his paws full with my last attack and can’t dodge it.

“Haaagh!”

I spring forward, putting all my power into my Omnisword, which glows pale blue and unleashes a huge beam of light.

I aim the sword of light at Master Rabbit and swing it down with great force.

“Gah-ha-ha! That’s good! Kicking Flash!”

However, once Master Rabbit’s dealt with the tornado of slashes, he draws one of his legs in tight to his body, then kicks hard.

The power of the attack is incredible… It goes right through the slash of light!

His incredible technique surpasses the results of my training. Basically, the original Heavenly Tornado is a slashing attack infused with the power of the Deities. Since I’m not a true Deity, I use the magical power I inherited from the Sage instead.

Still, the power of my attack is close to that of a real Heavenly Slash…but even my full strength can’t best Master Rabbit in the end.

“I guess maybe I really have shown growth…?”

Don’t judge me for muttering those pathetic words aloud.

I sigh heavily as Master Rabbit breaks through my Heavenly Tornado, puts some distance between us, and drops his fighting stance.

“Hmm, I think we’ll leave it here for today… You’ve managed to absorb both my techniques and those of the Deity of Swords with such ease… I’m even more curious about you than before.”

“Ah, ah-ha-ha…”

“Looks like you’re done, then.”

Just as Master Rabbit and I are wrapping up training, I hear a woman’s voice. Turning toward the source, I see the Deity of Swords, Iris, standing there with a towel in her hand.

“Here. Towel.”

“…Oh. You didn’t have to… Thanks.”

“And some water, too. No bumps or bruises, right? Are you in one piece?”

“What? I… I’m fine…”

“Really? Are you telling the truth? If there’s even the slightest bit of something that’s bothering you, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay? I’m like…your big sister.”

Iris fusses over me so much, it always makes me blush. But she’s never been this attentive after one of Master Rabbit’s training sessions before. I’m honestly kind of taken aback.

Still, it’s nice that she cares. Really nice.

“Th-thanks…for all you’ve done so far as well…”

“No worries. Actually, I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Er, okay…”

Since Iris is here, you probably already guessed, but after the whole Cuaro attack thing, I’ve not only stepped up training with Master Rabbit, but started training with Iris, too.

As a result, I’ve acquired Deity of Swords skills, just like the One Slash skill I used against Master Rabbit earlier.

…Though I still have poor control…and I have none of Iris’s speed or power. I really need to train a whole lot harder…

But like the spear arts, my sword arts aren’t reflected in my stats, for whatever reason.

Sighing again, Iris looks around.

“Still…who’d have thought you’d live here in the Weald, Yuuya? And this house… It appears to be protected by magic I don’t even know of… No wonder Rabbit’s been learning magic from you. Maybe I should take a few lessons as well…?”

Right. Iris came to my house to train me, just like Master Rabbit.

“Gosh… I mean, it’s not anything special. It’s not really worth teaching…”

“Nothing special?! It’s obvious, in my opinion, that your magical skills are greater than any Deity’s…!”

“No arguments here. Infuse Magic greatly amplifies my skills. I have a lot to learn about combat, but also about magic, too.”

Such praise from both Master Rabbit and Iris… But I just inherited it all from the Sage… It’s not that I’m amazing. It’s the Sage who was the amazing one.

…The only thing I can do is become a person worthy of the power I inherited. I have to work hard.

While I’m thinking about this, Yuti comes over from the house.

“Suggestion. Yuuya. Lunch.”

“Oh, is it that time already…?”

“Affirmative. Ouma and I are both looking forward to it.”

“All right, all right.”

I smile wryly at Yuti’s frankness. Still, I get it. Ouma can’t leave the house on Earth. The only thing he really has to look forward to is eating.

Training with Master Rabbit and Iris was so intense, I lost track of time, but it’s already lunchtime.

Iris stares at Yuti and mutters in a disgruntled sort of voice.

“…No, it still doesn’t sit right with me.”

“What’s that?”

“Why are you living with another woman besides me…?!”

“…Excuse me?”

Iris seems fired up over this. Like she’s about to start spitting blood.

“Living under the same roof as a young, beautiful girl…! No matter how you frame it, there’s no way I’m winning against that! Or, I mean… Yeah! It’s just…just shameless behavior!”

“…? Curious. I have nowhere else to go. Yuuya invited me to live here. That is why I am here.”

“He… He… He invited you?!!!”

Iris is yelling now, her face redder than ever. But, I mean, if I’d just left Yuti to her own devices, she’d have continued living wild forever…

“Are… Are the young people these days just more forward? Or am I behind?!”

“Er, Iris…?”

During training, Iris is cool and businesslike, but every now and then she says weird things or acts oddly. Still, you could say that’s part of her charm.

“More importantly! I heard you’re a disciple of the Deity of Arrows?”

“Affirmative. I am Yuti, disciple of the Deity of Arrows.”

“Yuti, right. Listen, I have a question. Why are you asking Yuuya here to cook for you? If you’re her disciple, then no doubt she taught you all the household arts…”

“…? Negative. The only thing I learned from my master was the Deity of Arrows technique. My master handled everything else.”

“Huh?! Ah… Right. It looks like her desire to take care of others backfired on her… Though this is far beyond the level of taking care of others…”

Iris seems taken aback by what Yuti has to say. I mean, I was shocked at first, too. Yuti couldn’t even get undressed by herself. Luckily, that’s no longer the case. Kaori stepped in to explain all that stuff to her, thankfully.

Then Iris stops looking shocked and suddenly perks up, like she’s just realized something.

“Aha! Then… Then if I show off my domestic skills here…I might just have a fighting chance…! Yuuya!”

“Y-yes?”

“I’ll be the one cooking today.”

“What?”

That’s unexpected… My eyes go wide.

“Since this is a rare opportunity, I’d like to cook for you, Yuuya… As, er, a way to deepen our friendship… Wh-what do you think?”

“W-well… I’m grateful for an opportunity to deepen our friendship, but…I think, in this case, I’d better make the lunch myself…”

“No, no! Leave it to me! Your big sis, remember? All this time, I’ve been training to be a bride. I’m good at domestic stuff. I’ve just never had anyone to appreciate it before…”

Iris trails off, gazing into the distance.

“Is it really okay?”

“Of course. I’d be happy to do it!”

“If—if you’re sure it’s okay, then…well, thanks.”

“Anticipation. We can see the skills of a Deity of Swords up close.”

“Excuse me, Yuti, but why do you sound a bit condescending? You—”

You can’t even do housework is what I want to say, but I bite my tongue.

Just then, Master Rabbit, who’s been watching our exchange, turns his back on us.

“Hmph. Today’s training is over. Do as you like.”

“Oh… Master Rabbit, you’re not going to eat with us?”

“I’ll go without. I’d rather not get mixed up in a catfight between those two females.”

“A—a catfight?”

Master Rabbit’s odd choice of phrase has me looking in confusion at Iris and Yuti, who’re silently gazing at each other… Are those sparks crackling in the air between them? What’s that about?

“Well, good luck to you.”

With those parting words, Master Rabbit heads beyond the barrier of the Sage’s property, jumps into the air, and flies off somewhere.

“Huh…?”

Iris had noticed Master Rabbit’s farewell and exit.

“That Rabbit’s still the same old rogue… Anyhow, I’d like to start cooking right away. May I use your kitchen?”

“Ah… Yes! Please, feel free!”

And so Yuti, Iris, and I all go inside the Sage’s house.

I rarely get the chance to invite visitors to the Sage’s house, so it feels kind of exciting having Iris here.

Up until recently, Lexia would come by for some reason or another, but she’s started coming less often. It’s unusual, anyway, for a princess like her to keep strolling into a dangerous location like this.

Master Rabbit, however, who I train with almost every day, has never actually entered the Sage’s house. We always train in the garden.

Come to think of it, one time Lexia did try cooking in the kitchen at the Sage’s house…although I’m not sure if you could call it cooking… The way I remember it, it was kind of a terrifying disaster…

I shiver, reliving it, as Iris looks around the kitchen.

“Huh… Everything’s in good order here. Yuti was right… You really must be the one who cooks all the time, Yuuya.”

“Well, yeah…”

“Woof?”

“Oink?”

“Hey. It’s mealtime. Get a move on.”

As I’m explaining to Iris where the cooking utensils are located, Night, Akatsuki, and Ouma come into the kitchen.

Spotting them, Iris’s eyes widen.

“Th-that’s right… I’ve been wondering about this, ever since we met in Regal, but…”

“Oh, that reminds me, I haven’t introduced you yet. These are my family members, Night, Akatsuki, and also Ouma.”

“Woof.”

“Oink.”

“Hmph.”

Night barks once, sitting at attention. And Akatsuki, in his usual laid-back manner, lifts a hoof as if waving.

But I probably don’t even need to tell you that Ouma shows zero interest and instead busies himself with lying down comfortably on the floor.

I smile wryly at the three of them, but Iris stiffens.

“Hmm? What’s up, Iris?”

“Th-that’s a Black Fenrir…”

“Oh, you mean Night? Yes, I think that’s the species he is. Quite a rare one, and they’re very strong, apparently…”

“Rare? Strong? That’s a wild understatement for that species!”

“Huh?”

“Agreed. Yuuya, your perspective of Night is skewed.”

“Wh-what?”

Yuti’s calling me out as well, but…is he really so strange?

I think Ouma said something about Black Fenrirs being equal to his own race in terms of pure strength, but I can’t quite wrap my brain around that.

But ultimately, when I look at Night as he is, he doesn’t have the arrogance that Ouma has. In fact, he’s very well-behaved. So it’s not really clicking with me.

Oh well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Night’s just…Night.

I pet my canine companion and let my mind wander. He narrows his eyes in pleasure and nuzzles against my hand. Ah, he really is so cute.

Akatsuki, jealous perhaps, slips underneath my other hand and nuzzles his head against me, too.

“Oink. Oink.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll pet you, too.”

“…By the way, what’s with that red pig?”

“You mean Akatsuki? He’s a Red Meng Huai. I don’t really know much about that species, though. Master Rabbit says they’re kind of like Deities, like you and him… They’re part of this planet’s self-purification mechanism…”

“…Then what about that tetchy little dragon?”

“Ouma’s a legendary being known as a Genesis Dragon. I don’t really know the details, but he’s apparently incredibly strong.”

Though come to think of it, I’ve never seen Ouma fight. He was super intimidating when we first met. I can’t imagine him being weak in any way. Plus, how could a being who’s been around since the genesis of creation be weak?

Hmm, introducing Night and the others like this has me realizing again how little I know about them. Still, they’re family and precious to me all the same.

After I’m done introducing everyone, I turn my gaze back to Iris, who’s silent and looking dazed.

“Er… Um… Iris?”

“…Huh?! Sorry, I was so overwhelmed by it all, I spaced out… I mean… What I mean is…! Isn’t there something wrong with this picture?!”

“What…picture?”

“How can you be so nonchalant? This is a Black Fenrir we’re talking about! A race so powerful that even if all Deities and all Demons attacked it, it would emerge victorious! What’s more, you’ve got a Red Meng Huai born with amazing powers, itself capable of fighting against Demons! And what’s even more, you’ve got an actual Genesis Dragon?! It’s unbelievable!!!”

“Affirmative. Your observations are correct.”

Yuti nods quietly in response to Iris’s shrieks. I agree that Ouma’s existence is quite hard to grasp, but Night and Akatsuki aren’t really such a big deal, are they? They’re cute. And loveable. Like I said, family.

Ouma, who seems to have been listening in, opens one eye from his reclined position on the floor and then immediately narrows it at her.

“Huh? What a rude young lady. You doubt that I am a Genesis Dragon?”

“What?!”

I basically had no reaction, but Iris went milk-white, and now she’s sweating profusely. I realize that she is intimidated by Ouma, so I shout at him.

“Hey! Ouma! Can you quit scaring people like that?”

“Wh-what? You’re telling me off, Yuuya…?”

“What does it matter if people recognize whether you’re a Genesis Dragon or not? You can’t get so offended over every little thing, you know.”

“Huh… Hmm. Well, when you put it that way…”

“Besides, Iris is making lunch today. If you scare her too much, she won’t be able to cook, will she?”

“What?! Th-that would not be good! I’m hungry! Hurry up and make some food!”

My words seem to have had a big effect on Ouma. He stops glowering at Iris, who nevertheless seems to have begun hyperventilating.

“Haaah! Haah! Haaah!”

“Iris! Are you okay?”

“Haaah… Haaah… Yes, I’m—I’m fine… Thanks…”

“It’s okay! I’m really sorry about that…”

“No, it’s all right. I made some careless remarks. Master Ouma… May I call you Master Ouma? Please forgive me for my thoughtless words.”

Iris bows low to the dragon as she speaks. Then Ouma snorts.

“Hmph. Well, as long as we understand each other. And don’t call me Master. It’s annoying.”

“…Yes. I understand. Thank you.”

“Vital information. Yuuya is the only one who can scold Ouma.”

“Yes, it certainly seems that way…”

“What?”

I don’t think that’s true… Ouma is very understanding, as long as I explain things to him properly.

While I’m thinking about that, Iris turns her gaze on me again.

“…I knew it. Your family’s fighting power is truly formidable. It makes our worries over the Demons seem…silly.”

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it? Though Ouma says he won’t join the battle against the Demons…”

“…I suppose he wouldn’t. A mighty Genesis Dragon wouldn’t be interested in our conflict… But what about your Black Fenrir, Night? Will he join our cause?”

“Yep. Night will fight by our sides. Though he’s just a pup. Still growing, like me.”

“Well, though he may still be growing, it will be very reassuring to have a legendary Black Fenrir on our team! Night, it’s a pleasure to be working with you!”

“Woof!”

Iris bends down and gently pets Night. Night barks happily, as if he’s telling Iris You can count on me!

“Oink, oink!”

“Oh, and Akatsuki, will you be helping us out, too?”

“Oink!”

Akatsuki, jealous over Night getting all the attention, snorts to remind everyone of his presence, and Iris immediately pets him, too.

After petting the two of them for a while, Iris stands up and says brightly, “Well, it’s about time to make lunch. As for ingredients…can I use the ones you have in the house?”

“Yes, please, help yourself to them.”

We have plenty of ingredients, including the incredible vegetables grown in the Sage’s garden, things I got training with Master Rabbit, and items picked up while fighting monsters in the Weald during my personal explorations.

Iris gathers ingredients and starts cooking, so I decide I may as well hang out and watch her work.

…It’s not that I don’t trust her. But after what happened with Lexia…

I mean, a knife flew at my head…

While I’m thinking about that, Iris picks up one of the ingredients I’d stocked, a Lightning-Fast Potato, and tosses it in the air.

Then…

Slash!

“Whoa?!”

The potato flies through the air and then falls softly onto the cutting board in neat slices.

She’s using her Deity of Swords techniques for cooking?! Is that allowed? That’s meant for fighting the Demons, isn’t it?

“One Thousand Swords!”

“I think you just need a cabbage shredder?!”

Next, Iris picks up a cabbage and, just like with the potato, tosses it in the air and then instantly shreds it. Using Deity skills to shred cabbage? Are we really doing this?!

“Spiral Slash! Flesh-Peeling Flash! Shredding Wave!”

She peels, slices, dices… Casually using her Deity of Swords techniques with a kitchen knife!

At the same time, using my Demon Sight, I learn each of the techniques she demonstrates.

But I’m not exactly happy about it. I mean, this isn’t something I’m picking up from training. I’m literally just watching someone cook here…

As I stare wide-eyed at the unexpected cooking method, inside me, Kuro wakes up yawning.

Yawwwn. Have you finished your training…? Huh? Why is the Deity of Swords cooking in your house?

“Er, uh, well… After the training was over, Yuti told me it was lunchtime. Then Iris said she wanted to deepen our friendship by cooking for us…”

Huh? The Deity of Swords, cooking…?

Kuro seems somewhat impressed, and just like me, he focuses on her cooking skills, but…

…Hey, Yuuya. Is something wrong with my eyes? That Deity of Swords is using the Deity skills in their cooking, are they not?

“…Nothing wrong with your eyes. She is using them.”

The techniques of the Deity of Swords, said to be the strongest among the Deities, being used for cooking… From a Demon’s point of view, it makes me feel…odd.

Makes sense…

Although Kuro is inside me now, he was originally part of a Demon’s power. It must be a weird feeling to see the Deity of Swords’s techniques being used for cooking.

While Kuro and I are talking, Iris throws ingredients in the air one after the other and chops them up in an instant.

But she’s not just cutting them haphazardly. Each piece is cut to a specific size.

“Look at these ingredients… All so fancy-looking. And the seasonings are all so high-quality! What a curious kitchen…”

Iris seemed shocked when she saw the seasonings in the kitchen. Well, as far as seasonings go, they are all from Earth, after all. I’ve transferred them to glass bottles from this world so no one would know that, though.

After the ingredients are prepared, she starts cooking using frying pans and other equipment in the kitchen, until lunch is finally ready.

Iris’s cooking skills weren’t something for me to worry about. Although I was surprised when she used Deity of Swords skills at first, I got the impression she was used to cooking on a regular basis.

“Well, the food’s ready.”

“Hmph. Let’s see how good it is.”

“Agreed. Let’s see what you can do.”

Why are Ouma and Yuti being so condescending…?

Shaking my head at them, I help Iris carry the food to the table.

“I’ll help you.”

“Th-thanks… But this… Doesn’t this look like we’re a newlywed couple…?!”

“Huh?”

“N-nothing! Come on, let’s eat!”

I’m puzzled by Iris’s sudden excitement, but I dismiss it as we all take our seats.

“Well, then…let’s eat.”

I immediately take a bite, and I’m surprised by the taste.

“Mmm! It’s delicious!”

“R-really? I’ve never cooked for anyone before this… I’m so glad you like it!”

It turns out we’re the first people to eat Iris’s home cooking.

Iris is blushing a little after my compliment. Ouma, who’d been quite condescending moments before, starts gobbling down the food with gusto.

“It seems Iris’s cooking is to your liking, Ouma.”

“Uh… Yes… It’s all right.”

Why can’t he just honestly say that it’s delicious? It’s obvious he really likes Iris’s cooking.

Then Yuti, who was also being condescending, takes a bite and immediately frowns.

“Defeated. The Deity of Swords’s cooking is delicious…”

“Defeated? Was there a competition?”

I can’t help but smile wryly at Ouma and Yuti.

Incidentally, Night and Akatsuki never had any complaints and ate Iris’s food with gusto. Those two are so honest and adorable.

Iris, who’d been watching us with joy and delight, suddenly spoke up.

“Right. From now on, I’ll continue to teach you various things as one of your masters…and I’ll cook you lunch every time you train with me.”

“Huh?!”

“If you want, I’ll even clean and do your laundry for you.”

“No, no, no! I can’t ask you to do that! I’m already relying on your kindness too much as your disciple…”

“That’s why I want to do it. If I do the housework for you, you can use that time to train, right?”

“N-no…! I mean, that may be true, but…”

“It’s okay. Leave it to your big sis! Yuuya, you can relax and just focus on your training!”

What should I do? Iris is really spoiling me…!

Once I started training with Iris, I realized that she’s pretty soft on me in general. Of course, the training itself is tough, but unlike Master Rabbit, she doesn’t push me to the brink of exhaustion. Instead, she suggests regular breaks and tries to keep me comfortable. It’s nice, but too much indulgence makes people weak.

I’m still confused by Iris’s offer…and Iris herself seems to be in some sort of a daze…

“Yes…my efforts are paying off…! At this rate…I—I…might even get married…?!”

I watch as Iris gazes dreamily off into space… I wonder how I can convince her to leave the household duties to me…

“Now then, Yuuya, I’ll give you a massage.”

“What?! Why?!”

After clearing her plate, Iris suddenly comes out with this crazy statement, smiling all the while.

Iris tilts her head quizzically.

“Is something wrong?”

“Just… Er… What made you think of a massage…?”

“Oh, it’s simple. I’m your master, Yuuya, and taking care of students’ bodies is one of the great responsibilities of a trainer, you know. So I’ll give you a good massage to loosen up your tired body.”

“What?! B-but Master Rabbit’s never done anything like that for me.”

“Well, I guess the rabbit wouldn’t do that. But he’s him, and I’m me! So just leave it to me!”

I can’t find a way to say no, and so I end up accepting the massage from Iris…but…

“What are you doing? Take off your clothes.”

“Take off my clothes?! Why?!”

“Because I’m going to use this, of course.”

Iris holds up a clear bottle of thick orange liquid.

“Wh-what’s that?”

“This is a massage oil I made myself. It’s very effective for healing muscles. It’s infused with my Deity power, so it works even better. Now come on, take off your clothes!”

“Uh… Okay… Right…”

Luckily, I have my swimsuit with me from when I went to the beach the other day with Kaori and the others, so I quickly change into it.

After finishing her preparations, Iris turns to me.

“Okay, I’m ready, and…”

“Huh? Iris…?”

For some reason, Iris freezes when she sees me. Then she blushes bright red and turns away.

“W-wait a second! Thinking about it rationally, isn’t this the first time I’ve ever touched a naked man?! What do I do?!”

“Uh… Iris?”

“Huh?! Sorry! Uh… Could you lie down there, please?”

I do as I’m told and lie face down on the bed. Then I feel the oil being poured onto my back. Ugh… It’s a bit cold…

The chill of the oil takes my body by surprise for a moment, but then I feel the warm touch of Iris’s hands.

“Ack!”

At first, I felt very ticklish and embarrassed by the sensation of the oil and someone touching my body, but Iris’s massage really does feel amazing.

How do I put it… Just as Iris said, I can really feel the muscles that had been overworked during my training being loosened and soothed.

Of course, I don’t have any real injuries, but Iris’s Deity-powered massage helps the fatigue that’s built up in my body to dissipate, and I feel like I’m being healed from the inside out.

This is… I think I could get addicted to this… Or rather, it’s making me sleepy… It feels so good that I start to doze off, and suddenly, a message appears in front of me.

“Holy Soulskill acquired.”

Huh…? H-Holy Soul…?

Why’d I get a skill like that out of nowhere? And what does it even do? Normally, I’d check right then and there, but I’m too sleepy to do that.

At first, I try to resist the drowsiness, but in the end I give in and fall asleep without even checking the description of the brand-new skill I just acquired.

“…”

While Yuuya was soundly dozing, enjoying his massage, there was a great disturbance occurring inside Iris’s mind.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on! Am I… Am I seriously t-t-touching a man’s bare s-s-skin???” she said under her breath.

Trying desperately to calm her raging thoughts, Iris continued with the massage. The only other person Iris had ever administered this massage to was her master, the previous Deity of Swords. Now, massaging a man for the first time, Iris was deeply shaken.

After all, up until this point, Iris had never had any romantic relationships with men. The only man she’d ever been close to was her father. She’d never had the chance to get up close and personal with any man…let alone touch one.

But Iris wasn’t the only one flustered in this situation.

Gaaah! S-stop!!! H-hey! Yuuya! Wake up! Wake up and stop that woman at once! Kuro, residing inside Yuuya, was screaming loudly as Iris continued to massage his host.

Iris’s special massage used her Deity power, and this, combined with the oil she was using, was having a very healing effect upon Yuuya’s body.

To Kuro, sworn enemy of all Deities, the very embodiment of a Demon…this was pure torture!

Hey! Sword Deity wench! Still those hands this instant! Or I shall… I shall disappear! Kuro shouted.

“W-wow… M-men’s bodies… They really are so strong…,” Iris noted with hushed awe.

Y-yikes… My vision… My vision is blurring already! Kuro screamed, but his wailing did not reach Iris.

More accurately, since Yuuya was the only one able to hear Kuro anyway, his protests were futile. Meanwhile, Iris…

“And… And Yuuya is asleep right now…isn’t he? Looking at him like this…he really does have pretty features…!” Given this rare opportunity to really scrutinize Yuuya’s face…she found herself captivated by it. “Come to think of it…he actually saved me from Cuaro’s attack… I never imagined I’d be saved by a man!”

Iris blushed, reliving once again how Yuuya had protected her from Cuaro’s attack. From Iris’s expression, it was clear she wasn’t exactly focused on the massage. But her hands continued to provide healing care to Yuuya’s body without a hint of hesitation. As for Kuro…

Curses! This wench doesn’t seem to be concentrating at all, and yet she’s still got all that Deity power going into it! Don’t go splashing around those Sword Deity powers in a place like this, you!

Kuro’s protests weren’t without merit. If Rabbit had witnessed this scene or observed Iris cooking, he’d have been as astonished as Kuro. Because Iris made full use of her Deity of Swords powers even in her everyday life.

Still, Iris’s ability to use her Deity of Swords powers effectively in any situation might have been the very reason why she was considered the strongest of all the Deities.

Just then, Iris’s gaze fell on Yuuya’s lips. Kuro noticed.

Er, hello? Sword Deity? What exactly is on your mind right now? That look in your eyes grows more terrifying by the second…!

Iris shook herself to get her mind out of the gutter. “…Huh?! N-no, stop it, Iris! Yuuya’s a whole generation younger than you are! Looking that way at him…and without even realizing I’m doing it, either…!”

Iris’s thoughts were all over the place, even as her eyes remained glued to Yuuya’s face. She swallowed hard.

Kuro couldn’t believe it. Y-yikes! This wench! Could it be…? Is she gearing up to…to kiss Yuuya?!

“Just a little… One tiny kiss…,” Iris whispered.

It was then that Kuro fully understood what Iris was planning.

Iris, blushing a deep red and oblivious to Kuro’s panic, moved her face incrementally closer to Yuuya’s…

H-hey! Yuuya! Wake the heck up! This—this wench is gonna kiss you, you know! Kuro kept screaming out to Yuuya, but the young man showed no signs of waking. Then…

“Mmngh…?”

“…?!”

Just as Iris’s lips were about to touch Yuuya’s, he finally woke up. Iris, sensing this instantly, moved away from Yuuya as quickly as her power allowed.

Yuuya, completely unaware of what had happened, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Ah… S-sorry… It felt so good, I fell asleep…”

Yuuya looked apologetic, but Iris shook her head vigorously.

“It’s fine! Don’t worry about it! You… You were tired from training, right? It can’t be helped!”

“Th-thanks… But, er, did something weird just happen?”

“Whaaat?!”

Iris let out a strangled squawk.

But then she tried desperately to paint on a poker face.

“N-nothing! Not a thing!”

“Yeah? Well, okay then…”

Yuuya looked doubtful. Meanwhile, Kuro was relieved to no longer be inundated with Deity power. He kept on spewing vitriol, though.

“Nothing” weird, she says! As if she wasn’t just torturing me and laying her lascivious hands on Yuuya!

“What does lascivious mean…?”

Erk!

Yuuya repeated Kuro’s own words back to him, puzzled over what had gotten the Demon so upset. Iris, obviously hearing what Yuuya had just said, froze on the spot.

“Wh-wh-whaaat? I was simply trying to help loosen up your body, Yuuya! That was all! I didn’t do anything else… Nothing at all!”

Despite being a little perturbed by how weird Iris was being, Yuuya shrugged and stretched, realizing that the massage was over.

“Mmm! Amazing! My body feels so light!”

“R-really? That’s…good to hear.”

“Yeah! Thanks a bunch!”

“Urgh…!” Iris looked guiltily away from Yuuya’s smile of blissful ignorance. But Iris wasn’t about to let the conversation simply end. “So, about—about the upcoming training…”

“Right.”

“I’ll give you a massage after each training session, so…so bear that in mind, okay?”

Say whaaat?! Kuro screeched in disgust, and Yuuya raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Wh-what? You mean, this wasn’t just a one-off?”

But Iris obviously couldn’t hear Kuro’s screeching, so she simply shrugged and smiled.

“Well, of course not! You need to take care of your body after training hard, don’t you? Or what’s the point? And it’s…it’s not like you hate my massages…right?”

“I—I mean…”

Hey! Yuuya! I say no! While you were snoozing away, I was fighting for my life, I’ll have you know!

“Huh? You were? But why…?”

Because I was being drowned in Deity power, that’s why! I’m a Demon, if you recall! Deity power is pure poison to me!

“Oh, I forgot…”

You actually forgot?!

Kuro was rendered speechless by Yuuya’s carefree response.

“But it’s true my body feels light and revived now…”

Gah… All right, I admit… The actual massage was a fight to the death, but now… Now it does feel a lot more comfortable being inside you.

“Does it?”

Yuuya hadn’t realized it, but his body was technically Kuro’s home. Yuuya’s physical condition directly correlated with how comfortable Kuro’s environment was. Therefore, the healthier Yuuya was, the better for Kuro.

Knowing that, Kuro couldn’t really protest too much against what Yuuya was saying. Realizing that enduring the pain for a short time meant he’d feel more comfy inside Yuuya, Kuro zipped his lips shut.

Iris put her head to one side, confused by Yuuya chatting with Kuro.

“Is something wrong…?”

“Ah! Not at all!”

“Really? Well…I plan on continuing to give you massages from now on, so please keep that in mind, okay?”

“Y-yes. Well, then… Thank you very much.”

Now that Iris had arranged regular massages with Yuuya…she mentally punched the air in triumph.

Now she could touch Yuuya’s body as much as she wanted. Iris, who’d had nothing but bad luck with the opposite sex, felt like she had missed her chance to get married and had become practically an old maid already… Well, you couldn’t say she wasn’t determined.

…And so, Yuuya’s sweet yet painful life of constant training continued…

Chapter 2: Summer Festival

…In a fancy restaurant, somewhere.

It was a very well-known establishment—it wouldn’t be easy for the average person to get a table there. The clientele were the rich and elite, presidents of various companies, and politicians. Here Miu sat, at dinner…looking very uncomfortable indeed.

“Miu. Do you understand what we’re here to discuss today?”

“…Yes.”

Sitting opposite Miu the professional model was a handsome, middle-aged man who bore more than a passing resemblance to her. He was eating his meal with a stern look on his face. The man in front of Miu was her father, and the very reason she felt so ill at ease.

“Good, that simplifies things, then. You have received a proposal. The other party is a young man who runs several overseas entertainment facilities, including a major casino. Recently, he has been planning to expand into a new venture using capital from his existing businesses. After hearing the details, it’s clear to me that his future is very promising. I believe this young man would be a good fit for our family.”

“…”

Never mind “our family.” Shouldn’t it be “a good match for you”?

Though Miu didn’t say those words out loud, that was how she felt about her father’s plans. Miu’s father was the president of one of Japan’s largest companies, making Miu the daughter of a corporate giant’s CEO.

But Miu never was able to agree with her father’s plans for her. Instead of joining the company, she entered the entertainment industry and became an extremely famous model. So…

“…I’m sorry, Father. I still want to model, and—”

“You’re not going to turn down this offer because of some stupid showbiz job, are you?”

“…!”

Miu stiffened, pierced by her father’s sharp stare.

Honestly, she wanted to demand an apology for referring to her work as a “stupid showbiz job.” But many years of ingrained reflexes compelled her to silence instead. While Miu sat there fuming, her father continued to lecture his unhappy daughter.

“Miu, I approved of your entertainment career insofar as it would enhance the image of our company. But you did agree to cooperate if there was ever anything concrete you could do to further the growth of the company, did you not?”

“But—!”

“Don’t tell me you forgot about that stipulation…?” Pierced with that sharp glare again, Miu once again fell silent. “Listen, this is for your benefit, you know. If you work for me, your future will be stable. Showbiz is far too fickle. Why can’t you understand that?”

“…Father, you have no idea why I want to pursue modeling in the first place, do you?”

“No, I don’t. And furthermore, I’m not the slightest bit interested.”

“…!”

“It’s irrelevant. I plan to go ahead with this marriage proposal.”

“…”

Miu lowered her head, letting her father’s words hang in the air unaddressed.

Seeing this, her father sighed in exasperation.

“Really… What is it you’re so unsatisfied with? If you marry the man I introduce you to, your future will be secure…”

“…That isn’t what I’m looking for in my life.”

“Miu. Please. Do not disappoint me this way.”

“…!”

Miu stiffened as she heard the touch of frost that laced her father’s words.

“You lack self-awareness. You are a member of the Midou family. This marriage is extremely important for the family business, and for your future as well.”

“…Even if that’s so, I still…” Miu’s voice was faint, strained…but then she had an idea. “So wait… If I bring home another man…someone whose status puts you at ease, Father…then you’ll decline the engagement?”

“You are going to bring home a man?”

“I—I will!”

Miu gazed earnestly at her father.

But his expression remained cold, incredulous.

“As I’ve said many times before, this marriage proposal is for your future, and it will have a huge impact on the development of the Midou family business. However, if you can bring home a partner who is just as good…no, let’s say even better, then I will certainly have no complaints.”

“Then—!”

“I mean, I doubt it’s going to happen. I know your circle, somewhat… Among them, I can’t think of a single man you’re close to. And I highly doubt you’d be able to bring home someone who meets our specific criteria.”

With that, Miu’s father resumed eating.

It was as if he was signaling the discussion was over. And Miu herself had nothing else to say, anyway.

Just as I’m starting to get used to training with Iris, Master Rabbit and Iris both announce a day off, since we’ve been training nonstop for quite a while now.

But I’m caught a little off guard because I was fully intending to train today. What to do…? I already finished my summer homework so I’d be free to hang out with Kaori and the others… And I guess, since it’s a day off from training, I should take the opportunity to rest my body and not try to train by myself…

I ruminate on it for a while, and then I get an idea.

“I know! I might as well go take a walk on Earth. Haven’t done that in a while!”

“Woof.”

“Oink.”

Night and Akatsuki both perk up. Then Ouma, who’s been lying on the floor, opens one eye.

“Are you going out?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Well, I doubt anything terrible will happen, but be careful anyway.”

“Huh?”

“Previously, I sensed Demons on this place you call Earth. The two worlds are connected now, through that door. If something strange was to happen, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

When we went to Kaori’s vacation house, I encountered a Demon during a visit to a haunted spot. Amazing how Ouma sensed its presence even from here in the house…

“What about you, Yuti?”

“I shall remain. I have yet to finish my homework.”

“Oh, okay.”

I smile wryly at the sight of Yuti frowning over her summer homework, which she has spread out all over the table.

Yuti has to study elementary school material as well as junior high texts, or she won’t have a chance of keeping up with classes. As a result, she studies twice as much as the others. It must be tough, but if Yuti gets stuck or has any questions, I’ll try my best to help her out.

We leave Yuti and Ouma holding down the fort at home and head out.

“It’s been a while since I was on a nice walk like this…”

“Woof.”

“Oink.”

I have Night on a collar and leash, but Akatsuki is totally free. Akatsuki hates that kind of thing. I mean, he prefers to do things at his own pace, and he’s not the type to do anything risky. He listens well, too. So for now I see no reason to change anything.

“Hmm?”

Partway through my usual walking route, the local bulletin board catches my eye. There’s a flyer posted there for the summer festival taking place tomorrow night.

“A summer festival, huh…? When we were coming back from Kaori’s vacation house, we talked about going as a big group… Hmm, what to do?”

Unfortunately, I don’t have a phone, so I have no way to contact my friends… I guess I should finally get around to replacing my household appliances and tech. A phone… Can I get a contract without parental approval? If not, I’d rather not have one…

Thinking about this kind of thing on my rare day off is putting me in a sour mood. Just then, Night barks.

“Woof!”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

I realize that Night is staring at something in the distance. I turn to follow his gaze and spot Miu, sitting on the riverbank, gazing desolately at the river.

She looks troubled… I wonder what’s up? Fortunately, there aren’t many people about, and no one seems to have spotted Miu. So I call out to her.

“Miu?”

“Huh…? Oh! Yuuya?!”

The instant Miu recognizes me, she yelps my name in surprise.

“Long time no see,” I say in greeting.

“I’ll say! Oh… Sorry about before… The president of my company making those demands…”

“N-no, it’s fine! Don’t worry about it. I think it’s good publicity for our school, so…”

Oh yeah. The president of Miu’s agency had asked to cover Ousei Academy’s ball games tournament not long ago.

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit troubled…?”

“Ah, ah-ha-ha… Sorry. This is embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry! Come on, has something happened?”

“Well, it’s not really a big deal…” Miu trails off, gazing back out at the river. “…Right. You’re right, Yuuya. There is something on my mind.”

“Uh… Well, um, sorry to pry. You don’t have to tell me about it if you’d rather not, you know…”

“Heh-heh-heh. Well, it’s a bit late to brush past it now. I don’t mind telling you… If you’d be okay with hearing out my complaints?”

“W-well, sure.”

I sit down beside Miu, and she slowly begins to talk, gazing at the river the whole time.

“The truth is…I’m afraid I won’t be able to continue modeling.”

“Huh?!”

I wasn’t expecting her to say that, so my eyes go wide. I mean, Miu is a very sought-after model. She’s been on the covers of tons of magazines, and not a day goes by without me spotting her on an advertisement somewhere in town.

Moreover, I can’t see the president of Miu’s agency letting go of a popular model like her so easily. Maybe there was some kind of incident at work…?

Miu continues, as if she’s guessed what I was thinking.

“Of course, it’s not that I want to quit. It’s just that I don’t think I can continue while also meeting my family’s expectations…”

“Your family…?”

For a second, my parents’ faces flash through my mind again, but I quickly shake my head to get rid of them.

“I like working as a model. I don’t want to stop. But I can’t work as a model if it creates conflict with my parents…”

I don’t know anything about the entertainment industry, but it’s clear Miu has a complex situation on her hands.

Besides, I’ve never met Miu’s family, and I don’t know anything about them, but either way…it’s not really my place to comment on someone else’s family situation. I hate not having anything to say to comfort Miu when she’s clearly upset… But she smiles at me, looking a bit lighter anyway.

“…Sorry, Yuuya, for ranting about stuff that has nothing to do with you…”

“It’s okay! I mean, I don’t mind…”

“I think…I just wanted to talk to someone about what my job means to me… How proud I am of it. But my father… He doesn’t get it at all.” Miu smiles sadly again, and I just stare at her, at a loss for something to say. Then Miu gets up all of a sudden and stretches. “Ahhh! I haven’t been on a walk in a while. I got to see you, Yuuya, and I got something off my chest! I’m glad I decided to go for a walk. I’ve really been feeling a bit down lately…”

Seeing how hard Miu is trying to act cheerful…I speak up.

“Miu…”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have some time tomorrow?”

“What? Tomorrow? Hmm, well, I don’t have any work scheduled, so I guess I’ve got time…”

“Well, it seems that there’s a summer festival being held nearby tomorrow. Would you like to come with me? It might help to take your mind off things…”

“Huh? S-s-so you mean… You mean like a d-d-date?!”

Her voice got real quiet at the end there, so I didn’t catch that last bit. Regardless, I carry on.

“Of course, only if you don’t mind hanging out with me…”

“N-not at all! I mean, fine! No problem! Great!” she responds brightly.

Miu takes a step closer, looking much more excited about it than I’d expected her to be. For a moment, I feel a bit overwhelmed…but then I smile and shrug.

“Great… Then let’s meet here tomorrow at six PM.”

“R-right!”

So it’s decided. I’ll be going to the summer festival tomorrow with Miu.

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea…”

It’s festival day. I started getting ready early so I wouldn’t be late, but I’m already starting to worry if inviting her was the wrong decision.

The festival isn’t a major one, like a citywide festival or anything, but it will still be quite crowded…and I can easily imagine what would happen if someone super famous like Miu was recognized in such a big crowd.

And the biggest issue is that I’m hardly a suitable escort for Miu. In fact, the mismatch between us is laughable. Am I good enough to be seen in public with her…?

“Gah! I’m anxious now…”

“Woof…”

I cradle my head in my hands, and Night woofs with concern, putting a forepaw on my leg in comfort. Thanks, Night.

All I’d wanted was to cheer Miu up a bit. I’d spoken without thinking… But now, thinking about it rationally, wasn’t it pretty presumptuous of someone like me to invite her to a festival to cheer her up? I just…didn’t realize that at the time.

“…Yikes, it’s time to go!”

While I was busy thinking, the time for our date snuck up on me. In a hurry, I leave the house.

Today, Night and Akatsuki will be holding down the fort at home. For obvious reasons, Ouma couldn’t come, and Yuti hadn’t finished her homework, so she needed to stay in and focus on it. Homework’s important, of course, but it’s nice to go out and spend time with friends, too, I think.

Since it’s a summer festival, a lot of the people walking around are wearing yukatas. But I’m just dressed in regular clothes.

I don’t own a yukata, so I guess it can’t be helped. But I still tried hard to choose decent clothing so I wouldn’t embarrass Miu too much, walking by her side… Yeah, the key word in that sentence being tried.

As I approach the meeting spot, the crowd seems to grow thicker. And it feels like there’s some excitement in the people around me… Right. Miu’s standing there waiting, at our meeting spot…

…wearing a yukata.

While I come to a stop, tongue-tied, Miu notices me and beams.

“Oh, Yuuya!”

“Uh… Y-yeah, hey!”

I yelp my response, all stiff and awkward, and Miu strolls over, looking puzzled.

“What’s up?”

“N-nothing! I just… I wasn’t expecting you to be in a yukata…”

“Yeah… So does…does it look weird?”

“Weird?! No way! It suits you!”

“I—I see! But, um, you’re standing a bit close…”

“Huh? Oh!!! S-sorry!”

Confused by Miu’s question about whether or not she looked weird in her yukata, I had accidentally stepped too close. Yikes, I really am behaving like a total disaster.

“…I mean, it’s not like I don’t like you standing close, it’s just a little embarrassing…”

“…”

Though she ought to be used to doing close-up pair photo shoots, Miu looks oddly flushed, and I find myself squirming awkwardly, too. This is super embarrassing…

As the awkwardness gets worse and worse, I realize the commotion around us is growing louder.

“H-hey, isn’t that…?”

“Y-yeah. The model… Miu, right?”

“She’s wearing a yukata, so I guess she’s not here for work…?”

“Have you seen that hot guy she’s with?!”

“Miu… She’s not an idol or anything, and her talent agency isn’t one that bans romance. I guess it’s fine for her, then, right?”

“I know, I know. It’s just jarring to see… And they have that newly-in-love glow about them! Like maybe they haven’t even held hands yet…?”

“““Oh, grow up!”””

Yikes! We stand out more than I’d thought we would.

“Miu! Let’s move somewhere else, ASAP!”

“R-right!”

Still feeling uncomfortable, we press on.

“Wow! This is amazing!”

When we reach the main festival area, Miu’s eyes sparkle. The festival today has loads of stalls set up alongside the riverbank, and there’s going to be a fireworks show starting around seven PM.

Just then, Miu smiles a little bit sadly.

“…Even before I started working as a model, I never had the chance to come to a festival like this. Being at one now… It feels strange.”

“…Actually, this is my first time at a festival, too.”

“Really? I figured maybe you’d come with your girlfriend or something…”

“No, no, no. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

I had to smile at this. Me? A girlfriend? Yeah, right!

I don’t remember even once coming to a festival with my parents. Grandpa was always off traveling the world, too. But I don’t think I ever went to events like this with him, either. It’s too late now, but I wish I’d been able to go to more places with him while he was alive…

I’m starting to feel down, but then I see Miu rubbing her chin, like she’s thinking hard about something.

“I see… So, Yuuya… No girlfriend…”

“Huh?”

“Oh no! It’s nothing!”

Well, if you say so, Miu.

While we’re starting to enjoy the festival atmosphere, I realize the crowd is taking notice of us again.

“Hey! Over there!”

“No way…? It’s Miu?”

“And that guy she’s with… Isn’t he that male model who was getting all that buzz not so long ago?”

“…It seems we’re drawing attention to ourselves, huh?”

“Y-yeah… Anyway, let’s just try to have fun and not worry about it.”

“Right!”

Of course, we can’t completely ignore the people staring at us, but fretting about it wouldn’t do us any good, so we decide to just try to enjoy the festival as best we can.

“Wow… There are so many different food stalls!”

“Yeah, there are. Uh, would you like something to eat? There’s a shaved ice stall just over there…”

“Let’s get some!”

We line up at the first shaved ice stall we see and quickly order.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had shaved ice.”

“I feel like you can only eat it at events like this.”

We move away from the stall a little and find a spot to eat the shaved ice we just bought.

“Yuuya, what flavor did you get, again? Blue Hawaii?”

“Yeah. And you got strawberry, right?”

“Mm-hmm! But, you know… All the syrup they use for shaved ice pretty much tastes the same, doesn’t it…?”

“W-wait, does it?!”

“Apparently, the base flavor is the same, but just the change in scent or color makes it seem different.”

“Seriously?”

If that’s true, it must be utilizing some sort of mental (?) trickery. Humans… We really are strange creatures, aren’t we?

Miu sees me gazing intently at the shaved ice in my hand and giggles.

“Since we happen to have two different flavors, why not compare them directly?”

“Huh?”

“Here! Open wide!”

“…?!!!” I stiffen up as Miu comes at me. “M-M-Miu?”

“Come on! Eat up before it melts.”

“Uh… Y-yeah! Okay!”

The word melt makes me open my mouth reflexively, and I grab the end of the spoon Miu’s holding with my lips. Miu beams.

“How is it? Tastes the same?”

“…I can’t tell what it tastes like at all.”

“Whaaat?”

Miu pouts, looking disappointed by my response.

I mean… I’m so nervous, I have no idea what it tastes like! Am I the only one?! Am I overthinking this?!

“May I try yours, too?”

“What?”

I stand there, squirming with embarrassment, and Miu puts my spoon in her mouth.

“M-Miu?!”

“Mmm!” After smacking her lips thoughtfully for a second, Miu sticks out her tongue. “…Sorry. I guess I can’t tell, either.”

I realize her cheeks are as red as the tip of her tongue.

After a short rest, we start walking around the festival again. Miu seems as embarrassed as I am about the whole feeding each other shaved ice thing. The mood is awkward for a while. But the tense atmosphere gradually dissipates.

“Oh! A shooting booth!”

Miu spots a shooting gallery stall and runs over.

There are various prizes available, including penny candy, air guns, dolls, and so on.

“Oh, that plushie is so cute!”

Miu points to a giant, soft toy cat. Then a man, apparently the stall owner, approaches us.

“Oh, you’re a pretty young lady. You’re after the big cat? Won’t be easy, you know.”

“The big cat’s a shooting prize, too?”

“Of course. Everything here’s a prize you can win if you can manage to knock it off the shelf. How about it? Want to give it a try?”

“Yeah!”

Miu happily pays the man, determined to try her hand at shooting. But…

“Huh…?”

The toy Miu wants is big and heavy, so it’s easy to hit but next to impossible to knock down. Hmm. Its sheer size means it’s got some weight to it… Not something you can easily knock down with a toy gun and cork bullets.

Miu uses up her bullets trying to knock down the plushie, but it doesn’t budge an inch.

“Oh…”

“That’s too bad. Feel free to come back if you want another shot.”

“I guess it’s too difficult after all…”

Miu comes back over to me, smiling self-deprecatingly… I invited Miu here today to have fun. So…

“Miu, wait a moment.”

“Huh?”

“Mister? I’d like to give it a try.”

“Oh, now your boyfriend wants to give it a shot, does he?”

“N-no, he’s not my boyfriend…”

The man’s teasing makes both Miu and I blush as we both relive the shaved ice incident. But I give myself a mental shake, pay the game fee, get my bullets and gun, and move over to the section with the big cat plushie.

“Oh, you’re after that one as well, are you, sonny? I know you want to impress your girlfriend, but…”

I think the shooting stall guy’s saying something, but I’m totally focused on the cat. I use Detect Weakness on the stuffed animal.

Several areas on the soft toy suddenly appear to glow. Those glowing spots must be the toy’s weak points.

The only remaining question is: Will the cork bullets be powerful enough to knock it off?

I glance at the other prizes, still thinking about knocking down that cat plushie. Then, as if Detect Weakness is showing me a secret way to nail the stuffed toy, glowing spots begin to appear on the other prizes.

Right, if I do it like that…

I aim at a small box of candy next to the stuffed animal.

“Huh? Sonny, the big cat’s…”

I know the stall owner’s talking to me, but I fire my gun at the candy without any further hesitation. The bullet goes exactly where I want it to.

The small box of candy spins around on impact, then flies off at an angle, hitting another nearby prize. The prize is something in a box that’s a bit bigger than the candy box. The force of the candy box makes it spin, hitting another nearby prize. The prize in question is a large air gun that’s precariously balanced. The heavy gun falling shakes the entire shelf, and the soft cat I was after tumbles to the ground.

“What?!”

“W-wow!”

“Huh… So Mister, do we…do we get the prize?”

I double-check with the stall owner, who’s struck dumb with shock, and all he can do is nod. He hands me the cat plushie, and though I’ve still got some bullets left, I decide to quit there and hand the cat to Miu.

“Here you go.”

“What?! B-but Yuuya, you’re the one who won it…!”

“I got it for you, Miu. Please take it.”

“Oh, Yuuya… Okay, then! Thank you!”

Miu takes the soft cat, beaming. Yeah. It was worth it to see that smile. Then the shooting stall guy, who’s been watching us, starts to tease us.

“Wow! Lucky lady! A present from your boyfriend, eh?”

“L-like she said, I’m not her boyfriend!”

If a misunderstanding like that got around, it could affect Miu’s work.

“Boyfriend…”

While I’m desperately denying it, Miu seems deep in thought. But now that she’s got that big stuffed animal in her arms, we’re drawing more attention than ever, and a crowd has started to form.

I think this could get unpleasant, so I immediately make a suggestion.

“I—I know! Miu, let’s go and see the fireworks now!”

“S-sure!”

With Miu’s approval, I maneuver us away from the crowd to a spot where we can get a good view of the fireworks.

Still, the whole place is pretty crowded now, and there’s nowhere we can go to get away from people. Though I guess once the fireworks start, no one’s going to be looking anywhere but at the sky. Then…

“Wow!”

“…Amazing.”

As the fireworks launch, we both gasp in amazement. The colorful sparks seem so bright against the night sky, and the loud noises and vibrations of the fireworks as they go off are thrilling.

…I’ve never had a chance to see fireworks like this before.

Of course, I knew that there were fireworks displays and festivals, but I’d never had the opportunity to enjoy them until now. While watching the display, I speak to Miu, who’s sitting beside me.

“Miu… I don’t know if I can be of much help with what’s troubling you…but if you ever need to just get away, I’m always available to hang out, like this, so you can take your mind off things.”

“Oh, Yuuya…”

We’ve been watching the fireworks for a while when I feel a tug on my sleeve. I look down and see Miu gazing at me with a determined expression on her face.

“Miu? What is it?”

“…Um… Yuuya…”

“Yeah?”

“Would you… Would you go out with me?!”

“………Whaaat?!”

The sound of the fireworks going off suddenly seems very far away…

“Tsk… Yuuya should be more considerate of me.”

While Yuuya and Miu were enjoying the festival, Ouma, unable to go outside on Earth, was lying down in the house…sulking.

Yuti looked up from her homework.

“Compromise. Ouma, you are a being that does not exist on Earth. So you cannot just go and roam around out there.”

“I know that! Gah, to think that my form causes me this much inconvenience. What a pain!”

“Woof.”

“Oink.”

Night barked dolefully in response to Ouma’s grumbling. Akatsuki rolled around on the floor, belly showing, seemingly unbothered.

“Ahhh, I’m bored! Bored, I say!”

Ouma thrashed around on the floor in a mild tantrum, then suddenly got to his feet as if he’d just remembered something.

“…That’s right. There’s still one place in this house where I can do something other than rot and loaf about!”

“Question. Where?”

“The storehouse!”

When Ouma said this, Yuti immediately knew what he was referring to. There was a storage room where all the items collected by Yuuya’s grandfather, including the Door to a Different World, were kept.

“Affirmative. But can you just go in there without asking?”

“Hmph. It’s up to me how I spend my time in this house. He should just be grateful I’m not going out into that Earth place!”

“Confusion. I think—”

“Besides, I’m a member of Yuuya’s family, am I not? So there’s no problem with me doing as I please in this house, right?”

“…I will not be involved. However, do not anger Yuuya.”

Realizing it was pointless to try to dissuade Ouma, Yuti returned to her homework. Ouma snorted at her.

“Hmph. You don’t have to tell me. I’m bearing that in mind.”

“Woof…”

Night barked in a worried way at Ouma, afraid that something bad might happen while Yuuya was away. Ouma sighed.

“Haaah! Don’t fret. I’m not going to blow up this house or do anything crazy like that. I’m simply going to look around that storehouse a bit to kill time.”

“Woof!”

Oh, you’re darn right, you won’t!, Night seemed to say.

“…Heh-heh-heh. That room has such an eerie atmosphere, it even makes me tingle.”

A maelstrom of dense, unimaginable power swirled within that storage area, so strong that even Ouma, a Genesis Dragon, was somewhat intimidated. Mind made up, Ouma headed off to explore.

“Yuuya looks around this room, and he senses nothing. Is he really that great of a man, or is he simply an ignoramus…?”

Ouma began looking around and checking out everything.

“This place is as fascinating as I thought. There are things here whose true nature even I cannot begin to guess… Indeed, there are things here which I have never heard the likes of before!”

Like Ouma said, the storage space was filled with strange items of which he had no comprehension.

“Is this…a coffin? It is human-shaped, but… If so, it is a very luxurious coffin indeed…”

The first thing Ouma examined was a shining golden coffin that looked like the sarcophagus of an Egyptian pharaoh.

“Hmm… Odd. It doesn’t seem to want to open. It must be locked by some magical means… But the magic system involved in its construction is something I’ve never seen before… Getting it open won’t be easy. I mean, if I really wanted to, I could do it with a little force, but if I did that, I’d blow this whole house to smithereens as well, so I’d better not…”

Ouma gave up on opening the coffin.

“Never mind, then… Now, what about the stuff on this side?”

The next thing that caught Ouma’s interest was a black mask with an eerie smile. It had an ominous, almost demonic look to it, and it felt like it’d curse whoever so much as tried it on.

“…This mask is incredible. It seems to be imbued with a frightening amount of dark power.”

It certainly did seem cursed.

“But it’s odd, though. Why would something like this just be left lying about?”

It was obvious that the mask Ouma was beholding was the sort of thing that shouldn’t be left unattended. Because…

“…I do believe that even I would be cursed to death if I got too close to this mask.”

Yes… It was so cursed that it could apparently kill even the mighty Ouma.

The warehouse was full of all kinds of things. Old coins, odd keys, ancient Japanese picture scrolls.

Ouma mumbled to himself as he surveyed it all.

“…I feel as though one might be able to defeat the Demons simply by utilizing some of this…stuff. I mean, take that mask, for instance. That should be a one-hit kill. Though how to wield it, if even touching it would curse you… Hmm…”

Actually, some of the items stored there were even more dangerous than the cursed mask, but since neither Ouma nor Yuuya knew how to use them, they were next to useless.

“Hmm, I sense a similar dark power from the other objects, but…”

Ouma trailed off, his gaze falling on one item in particular.

“But nothing coming from this. What is it?”

What had caught Ouma’s eye was a cubic object floating above a pedestal. The cube had several pale blue lines running through it, giving it a somewhat mechanical appearance. The pedestal beneath the cube was also glowing blue in the center.

“What could it be? I’m not sensing any magical power or cursed energy coming off it…”

Ouma approached the object and gingerly touched it.

“Hmm… It’s a material I’m not familiar with…and this pedestal is strange, too. Floating with wind power, I could understand, but I’m not sensing any of that.”

Ouma put his foot between the pedestal and the cubic object and confirmed there was nothing there.

“Hmm… What if I do this?”

Ouma jumped up and grabbed on to the floating cube.

“W-whoa! It can hold my weight! Hmm… Then what about this?”

Hanging on to the cube, Ouma imbued it with his own magical power. His goal was to see if the object would react to some kind of magical energy.

Ouma continued to send a flow of his magical energy into the cube, but nothing happened. Ultimately, it appeared the cube itself contained an unimaginable amount of energy…enough to wipe out an entire galaxy.

Ouma clung on for a while, trying his magical energy on it, but then sighed.

“Hmm. Even with all that, there’s no kind of reaction…”

But the moment Ouma spoke, the blue light shining in the center of the pedestal suddenly went out.

And the moment the light disappeared, the cube that had been floating in the air fell to the floor.

“Whoa?!”

Realizing that the cube had undoubtedly fallen because of his meddling, Ouma gasped.

“W-w-whoa! Why’d it fall all of a sudden? Up until now, it didn’t even make a peep!”

Ouma paced in front of the cube and started batting at it.

“Float! Float, darn you! Or Yuuya will scold me for sure…!”

The mighty Genesis Dragon was afraid of a reprimand from Yuuya. Ouma might talk big, but he was just a big pussycat when it came to Yuuya.

Ouma brought the cube back to the pedestal and tried to move it around on there. But the cube stubbornly refused to float. Then…

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, the blue line of light running along the surface of the cubic object began to shine brightly, and something translucent began to emerge from within the cube.

“Wh-what the?! What’s this, now?”

The thing that emerged… It was a hologram. Of what appeared to be some kinds of blueprints.

A specialist, or the object’s rightful owner, might have been able to explain it. But its significance was lost on Ouma.

“Hmm? What is it? This odd shape…”

Ouma puzzled over the blueprints, but after a moment, they disappeared.

“…All right! No harm, no foul! I saw nothing! Nothing!”

Ouma decided to pretend he hadn’t seen anything in the first place. He nodded in satisfaction, put the cube down on the pedestal, and went back to the living room.

Chapter 3: The Ultimate Demon

“…Do I really need to go again?”

“You must go! Yuuya, you’re the one who saved Regal!”

I’m currently traveling to Regal with Lexia and the others via carriage. Why are we going? Well, when that Demon attacked Regal, we, together with Master Rabbit, lent our strength in defeating him. Apparently, the Regalians wanted to express their gratitude to us in person.

Of course, they’re not just going to thank us verbally. Apparently, there will be awards, too.

But since they had to rebuild after the damage caused by the Demons right after the incident, it’s taken them some time to invite us.

“I feel awkward being thanked by them personally…”

“I mean, I get it, Yuuya, but you should just grin and bear it. And by the way, I hear tell that the Deity of Kicks and the Deity of Swords are on their way to Regal already, too.”

“Huh, my masters have been invited as well…”

Master Rabbit doesn’t seem to be the type to enjoy these kinds of stuffy formal occasions, but he did say he goes to Regal often… Hmm, I wonder if Iris dragged him against his will?

I still feel awkward about it all, but since Lexia and her people sent the carriage, I can’t exactly refuse to go. Fortunately, it’s summer vacation. It would have been difficult to get away while school was in session.

“…And there’s the other business that needs taking care of back home, too…,” I mumble.

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“Nope, not a thing.”

I’m referring to Miu.

I was taken aback by what she had blurted out the other day. But after she explained things, I realized she was being pressured into an arranged marriage she didn’t want, and to get out of it, she had to introduce a suitable “boyfriend” to her father.

So rather than asking me out, she was asking me to pretend to be her boyfriend for a while.

But for one moment there, I’d thought she was confessing to me, and I almost had a heart attack.

My main concern is whether I’m really the right person to help her with this… Is it even my place to intervene in family matters like this? But since Miu herself asked me, I want to help her as much as I can.

Miu said all she needs to do is bring her “boyfriend” home, so I don’t have to do anything special. She did ask me to dress formally. A jacket or a suit or something. She said anything would be fine. I’ll have to figure out what to do about that.

Formal wear… I don’t even know where or how to get something like that… The best thing would be to ask Kaori’s father, Mr. Tsukasa, but I doubt I can see the school principal without an appointment, and I’m sure he’s very busy.

If I knew his phone number, maybe I could call him…but I don’t even have a phone… I guess I’ll drop by the school and see if I run into someone I know. I’ll have to rely on my stats for some good luck there.

While I’m still busy thinking about all this, we finally arrive in the land of Regal.

“Exhausted. Long journey.”

“Well… It is kind of a long time to be sitting.”

Yuti had come along, and now she looks tired. I grin a little. They can’t exactly recline their seats and sleep like we can on bullet trains on Earth. Traveling like this can be tough if you aren’t used to it. Up until now, Yuti probably always traveled on foot, rather than by carriage.

I’m not too tired, though. After all, this carriage is super luxurious, both outside and inside. Naturally, since it’s carrying Lexia, an actual royal. If it hadn’t been so plush, I might have considered using teleportation magic to zoom right there.

When the townspeople spot our carriage, they smile, wave, and shout words of gratitude.

I’m surprised by this, but Lexia puffs out her chest.

“Sir Yuuya! You can hold your head up high, you know? After all, you saved this country!”

“N-no, I don’t really feel like I did… But if it makes the people happy, then…I guess I’m glad.”

At Lexia’s and Luna’s urging, I poke my head out of the carriage window and wave a little.

This actually makes the cheers grow louder, and I feel even more embarrassed. Yuti, however, doesn’t seem to mind, and she waves her hand vigorously at the people. Amazing. I envy her confidence.

Night and Akatsuki are here, too, but they don’t seem too interested in what’s going on, preferring to sit curled up in the carriage. As for Ouma… Well, it’s not like there’s a battle going on. And he never shows much interest in anything anyway…

Eventually, we arrive at the royal castle, where we’re escorted to an audience with the king, Orgis.

…Come to think of it, I’m not dressed in formal clothes now, either. Hope nobody minds. After all, it was a spur-of-the-moment visit.

I doubt I’m going to have many more chances to meet important people, but I do have Miu’s thing to consider, so I’d better make sure I prepare some decent clothes soon.

We reach the throne room while I’m still thinking about clothes. It’s similar to the room I was in when I met with Arnold, the King of Arselia. But this time, it’s Orgis sitting on the throne at the far end.

Upon closer inspection, I can see that Master Rabbit and Iris are here, too.

But for some reason, they both look grim… Has something happened?

“Thank you for coming, Lord Yuuya. And I would also like to thank your companions for coming all the way here.” King Orgis stands and bows his head as he speaks. “Thank you so much for saving our country of Regal.”

“Huh?! Agh! P-please, don’t bow!”

I hate it when somebody important bows to me. It gives me a stress stomachache. After all, I’m nobody…!

King Orgis lifts his head, but apparently not because of my distress.

“We owe you a great debt. As a token of my gratitude, I would like to bestow upon you a title from our country.”

“A—A title?!”

I already got a title in Lexia’s country. I think I’m good as far as titles go…!

But I guess it’s not up to me to decide. I already know from when I got my title in Arselia that refusing a title is next to impossible.

Then King Orgis suddenly turns his gaze to Lexia.

“Come to think of it…I hear he’s been given the title of knight in the Kingdom of Arselia…but hmm. Our country is considering giving Yuuya a higher title than that.”

“Huh?!”

“H-hold on! I’m not about to let that slide, you know?!”

I’m stunned by what Orgis is saying, but Lexia responds with a level of sass that shocks me. Er, really? Lexia, this is a king you’re talking to… Oh, but wait, Lexia herself is a princess…

I turn to Luna, who’s standing beside me, touching her temples like she’s trying to ward off a headache. So Luna looks worried, too…

As Luna and I share a sympathetic grimace, Lexia speaks again…and she sounds heated.

“In that case, I will bestow upon Yuuya a title greater than that given by this country!”

“Oh, indeed? That’s a strange thing to say. The only person who can bestow such a title is your father, the king, Princess Lexia. I do not think you have the power to do that.”

“Oh yeah, you want to bet?!”

“…Uh-oh, she’s out of control…”

Luna looks exhausted. I wish I could say something to help… Darn. She really has a tough job…

I don’t know the rules, but I also doubt that Lexia has the power to go around bestowing titles on behalf of her country…

For a while, Lexia and King Orgis glare at each other, but then Orgis suddenly smiles.

“Hmph…well, never mind. We can have a chat about the details later, if you’d like, once we’re done with the discussion at hand.”

All I can do is nod.

There’s nothing I want anyway, and personally, I’d be happier just living a carefree and easy life…though I know that’s not possible.

Lexia said that Regal wanted to express its gratitude to us once again. However, it seems there’s a bit more going on here than that…

Once Orgis is all done saying thank you, Iris speaks up with a grim look on her face.

“Now can we return to what we were discussing earlier?”

“Indeed.”

What were they discussing earlier…?

It appears that some sort of discussion was taking place before we arrived, and whatever it was, it’s the cause of Iris’s and Master Rabbit’s matching grim expressions. But I’m not prepared for what Iris says next.

“Then let me ask again. Is it true that you summoned a Holy Maiden from another world?”

“Huh?!”

Another world?! A Holy Maiden?!

Orgis speaks next, his eyes on Iris and the others.

“Yes, that is true.”

“…The problem is that you brought someone from another world. Do you understand that? It’s basically the same as abduction, you know?”

“…”

In response to Iris’s observation, Orgis says nothing.

“I—I can’t believe…that Regal would do something like that…”

Just then, I realize Lexia looks stunned, and I lean in to speak to her.

“Lexia… Is being summoned from another world…bad?”

“…It’s nothing but bad. Summoning someone to this world means they’ll disappear from their own world without any warning whatsoever. From their perspective, it’s like being ripped right out of their daily life and dumped in a strange land. It’s kidnapping, pure and simple.”

“Right… Well, that may be so…”

“I don’t know the details, but it seems the Holy Maiden who was summoned has some considerable power. Which means they’re no doubt an important person in their own world. For someone like that to disappear, to be abducted… It could lead to an all-out war between that world and this one. This country… It must be desperate indeed, to do something like that.”

“…There was no other choice, then.”

“…”

I don’t know much about politics, but I can see what Lexia’s saying. I mean, it makes sense. It’s not like in my case, where I can travel freely between my home world and this one. I haven’t been summoned here without my consent or anything. It must be extremely disconcerting to have that happen to you.

I frown, and then Lexia says something even more surprising.

“What’s more…I never thought the country of Regal would be able to reproduce the Sage’s magic.”

“The—the Sage?!”

“Yes. You know of him too, right, Yuuya? After all, he was the one who defeated Lord Ouma.”

Well, yeah… I’ve heard a thing or two about the fellow.

I got my ability to use magic from the Sage. My house, my weapons, and my items in the Weald were all gifted to me by the Sage…

“The Sage’s magical research materials were scattered all over the world. There were even wars over them in the past. But now, each land conducts its own magical research based on the fragmentary materials it owns that were left behind by the Sage. Naturally, the kingdom of Arselia also has its own Sage materials. The materials belonging to Regal… I think they must have had something to do with transportation between worlds. Their research into this must have led them to this summoning of Holy Maidens from other worlds, as King Orgis said…”

So the Sage was researching different worlds…

Anyway… The issue is the people who are being summoned.

King Orgis speaks calmly, unfazed by the sharp gazes of Master Rabbit and Iris.

“Of course, I understand the gravity of my crime, and indeed, I will bear this guilt forever.”

“…Then why do it?”

“It’s simple. I don’t believe that we can defeat the Demons with Deities alone.”

“““…?!”””

This unexpected remark has us all speechless. Even Iris and Master Rabbit look shocked, their eyes wide and round.

“Of course, you Deities have helped a lot. I am truly grateful. However, if you think about it, there are a lot of Deities who have defected to the enemy’s side.”

“But…”

“It takes several Deities to take on even one Demon. And yet, many of the Deities we were relying on have betrayed us. I just don’t see the Deities being able to defeat the Demons alone. Don’t you agree?”

“But…!”

Iris starts to speak, then trails off, looking frustrated.

I get what King Orgis is saying. For humankind to survive, we must defeat the Demons somehow. I look over at Yuti, who looks conflicted.

Yuti’s master, the Deity of Arrows, was also ultimately killed by the very people she was trying to protect.

King Orgis’s gaze falls on me.

“But we failed to take into account…that there could be another entity in this world, besides the Deities, that could take on the Demons…”

Well, in my case, I owe my power more to the various items my grandpa collected than my own merits… Also, the power of Demon Sight that I got from absorbing Cuaro is a big factor.

Then Yuti speaks up.

“Question. It is true that the power of the Deities alone is insufficient. But even if it is so, how can we trust the defeat of the Demons to one who is not even from this world?”

“Once again, I reiterate, I’m grateful to the Deities for all they’ve done to protect humanity up until now. But it can’t be denied that Fallen Deities have appeared. I believe I’ve made the best choice for this country, and for this world.”

For a moment, Yuti and King Orgis stare at one another. Then King Orgis sighs.

“…But never mind. To protect this world, I have summoned a power from another world…someone with the power to defeat the Demons. This is my responsibility, and as a reward, I will give that person anything they desire. That is all I can do now to atone for my sin in…procuring them.”

There is a moment of silence between King Orgis, Iris, and the others.

It’s definitely a conundrum. Everyone has their own way of thinking about it, and it’s hard to say that anyone’s wrong… And I mean, ultimately, it’s the Demons who are in the wrong.

I want to say something, too, but I can’t think of anything. Would someone unwillingly summoned to this world to fight the Demons even agree to do that? I mean, it’s kind of a big ask. And then, imagine being someone with the weight of an entire country on your shoulders. Maybe there’s no right answer here.

“…But we’ve been talking far too long. Let’s end it here today. I would like the Deity of Swords and your entourage to meet the Holy Maiden our country has summoned. As you will be working together to protect humanity and—”

Just as King Orgis is mid-sentence…

“Huh?! Wh-what?!”

…suddenly, there’s a rumbling sound that seems to shake the entire castle… No, the entire country.

While we’re all shocked by this, Ouma, who’s been sleeping as always, actually opens an eye.

“Oh? So they’ve come.”

“What?”

I’m about to ask Ouma to elaborate when Kuro, who I’d thought was sleeping inside of me, starts yelling at me in a panic.

Hey! Yuuya! Get out of here right now!

“Huh?! B-but what’s happening?”

No time to explain! Yikes, this is bad! They’re already here…!

“…Ha-ha-ha.”

A chillingly cold laugh.

The voice seems filled with all the malice in the world, and I instantly freeze. It comes with an earth-shattering sound that attacks the ears, and then a rift opens in thin air. From the rift gushes a dark and ungodly mist.

I turn to the voice, not even noticing the sweat pouring from my brow, and see…a black mass of malevolence in the form of a Demon… A Demon so terrible it makes Cuaro seem cute by comparison.

It has the form of a young man with a terribly handsome face. His long black hair almost seems to suck in everything around it…and his glowing red eyes seemingly have the power to pierce us all.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!”

His laughter alone is enough to send a dark wave through the throne room, splitting walls and cracking floors.

Master Rabbit, sweating as much as I am, suddenly cries out.

“What—what manner of being are you?!”

“Ha—”

The laughter ceases suddenly. And then the young man, exuding a terrifyingly dark aura, bows his head respectfully.

“Well, well, do excuse me… I am Avis. I am the embodiment of all the world’s malice.”

“All the world’s malice? You mean, like… All of it…?”

Iris manages to croak this out, and the young man…Avis…smiles slightly.

“Hmm. You don’t understand? Very well, I shall explain it. For example, if you were to defeat me right here…then there would be no more Demons left in the world.”

“Wh-what?”

“I…or should I say, we…have become one.”

“No way…”

Iris’s eyes widen… Something Avis just said has clicked with her.

“The Deity of Swords appears to have realized it. I have absorbed the power of all the other Demons and have become the Ultimate Demon… In other words, it wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that I am the embodiment of evil!”

If what Avis says is true, then he has absorbed other Demons so that now all the Demons are one entity…

And this must also mean that his Demonic power has reached the absolute apex…

I’m maintaining my composure, but this situation is incredibly dangerous for Lexia and the others!

I turn to them just in time to see Akatsuki casting his Holy Ground skill with a grim look on his face, attempting to protect everyone.

“Akatsuki!”

“Oink…”

Akatsuki’s not his usual laid-back self. He’s clearly desperate to keep away Avis’s evil influence.

Avis snorts at Akatsuki, looking bored.

“Another defense mechanism of this world, just not a Deity… Still, it appears weaker than I expected.”

“Grrr… Woof!”

“Night?!”

Night is furious that Akatsuki’s effort to protect Lexia and the others is being mocked. So furious, in fact, that he launches himself at Avis! However…

“Ha! A Black Fenrir pup. If it were an adult, I might have had to prepare myself for the worst. As it is… Hmph!”

“Woof?!”

“Night!”

Avis waves his hand dismissively, and a dark mist billows toward Night. As the Black Fenrir pup leaps, the energy smacks him in midair, but he somehow manages to land and takes a defensive stance.

Still, the power of Avis’s attack was so great, Night was almost blown away. Almost by reflex, I cast my Infuse Magic, and in an instant I’m by Night’s side, and I manage to deflect the next blow.

“Are you okay, Night?!”

“Awoo…”

I stroke Night, who’s howling apologetically, and look up at Avis. Avis…is also looking at me.

“I see, it’s you…”

“Huh?”

“…Haaah. It seems there was no need to worry, then. Now I am…unstoppable.”

What is he talking about? I’m certain this is only the first time he and I have ever met. I stare at him warily, and Avis’s gaze shifts to King Orgis.

Since King Orgis was standing outside of Akatsuki’s Holy Ground range, he’s been directly affected by Avis’s daunting presence. He’s pale and visibly trembling. The royal guard seems to be frozen in place, too, unable to move so much as a finger, so intimidated are they by Avis’s overwhelming presence.

“King of Regal. My powers have not yet stabilized, so my plan was merely to stop by and say hello today… But since I’m here…it might be a good idea to continue the work my comrades left half-finished, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

King Orgis gasps, transfixed by the Demon’s piercing stare, as still as if he’d been turned to stone.

“Here, a gift from me… Die!”

Avis lifts his palm, and a dark mist begins to swirl above it, turning into a ray of pitch-black energy.

“…Iris!”

“…Rabbit!”

Just before he can unleash the attack, Iris and Master Rabbit call out to one another and leap with the speed of bullets to get between King Orgis and the black ray.

“Gaaagh!”

“Hyaaah!”

They both counter the black ray, unleashing powerful attacks.

Only…

“Huh?!”

“Gah!”

Their blows have no effect on the black ray… Both of them are blasted backward and slam into a wall.

Now they’re lying completely motionless and seem to have passed out. Before the black ray hits King Orgis, Yuti grabs him and pulls him out of harm’s way.

“Guh?!”

Though she avoided a direct hit, Yuti is nearly blown away by the shock wave of the black beam of energy passing by.

“Are you all right?!”

Avis watches us all panic and scramble with a bored look on his face.

“Hmph… The rumors about you were exaggerated, I see. This is what we’re meant to be worried about…?”

“What?!”

“And the…outside element… This is what it amounts to…?” Avis, muttering something under his breath, returns his attention to King Orgis, who’s being held by Yuti. “Well, whatever. The first gift was blocked by those Deities…but they appear to have been knocked out now. They’ll be out for a good few hours at least. Still, no need to get my hands dirty. One more gift for all of you, how about that?”

“One more?! What?”

While I’m trying to figure out what Avis is saying, a thunderous roar reverberates, shaking the very foundations of the castle.

“I’ve summoned a horde of Demon Beasts to this city. Within a few hours, every single human will have been expunged from this land.”

“…What?!”

None of us can process the enormity of this.

“The two Deities you were relying on are out cold and unable to fight. What’s your next move…? You. King of Regal. You were already struggling to stop us. You think you can still fight as things stand now?”

“Uh… Agh…”

King Orgis had summoned a being from another world, someone different from the Deities…to protect the people of this world from the Demons. However…that doesn’t mean anyone is expecting one Holy Maiden to defeat all the Demons. And right now, our biggest issue is how to handle Avis…

I want to use Akatsuki’s Holy Ground skill to revive Iris and Master Rabbit, but Akatsuki’s busy protecting Lexia and the others right now. If I try to give the Deities some Herb of Complete Healing Juice, I’m certain Avis will block me from doing so.

While I’m frantically trying to think of a way to get through this dire situation, Avis suddenly bursts out laughing.

“Oh, come on, don’t be so wary. Of course, it’d be a piece of cake for me to kill you right now, but if you’re going to die anyway, wouldn’t you much prefer to be killed by me in my ultimate, perfect form?”

“…”

If what Avis is saying is true…then this isn’t even his final form. I can’t imagine a future where we could beat Avis’s ultimate form. Once he reaches that level, we’ll have no hope. But then…we already seem to have no hope…

“That’s why I said I only stopped by to say hello. Specifically to you.”

“To me…?”

I’m taken aback, and Avis’s grin spreads.

“You defeated Cuaro…a Demon, and you aren’t even a Deity. I certainly couldn’t overlook that…”

“…”

“To reiterate, once I’ve reached my perfect form, I’ll return and destroy you with all my might. I’m just passing by today, see.”

Avis looks around at us all and bows respectfully.

“Well, then…for now, please enjoy the gift I’ve prepared for you…”

“H-hey!”

With those parting words, Avis dissipates into a cloud of black mist particles and vanishes from sight. But we don’t have time to worry about him right now.

“Yuti, Night! Take care of things here!”

“Affirmative.”

“Woof!”

“Akatsuki! Please heal Iris and Master Rabbit!”

“Oink!”

I flash my companions a quick, grateful smile and dash off to town, where the horde of Demon Beasts is closing in.

“Gyaah!”

“Darn it! Where are the castle soldiers?!”

“S-someone! Help!”

I swiftly change into my go-to set of armor and dash out of the castle…and find that the town is already besieged by Demon Beasts!

The soldiers and city guards are fighting, but they’re clearly struggling to hold back the onslaught of Demon Beasts—Demon kin.

Kuro pipes up as I survey the scene.

Woo! Impressive work by the lad. He incapacitated the Deities and unleashed a veritable swarm of Demon Beasts!

“It’s completely inappropriate to be impressed by that!”

I yell at Kuro, but he doesn’t seem to mind and continues, suddenly sounding serious.

Hey, Yuuya. You figured it out earlier when you faced off against that Avis guy, right? He’s already become a perfected form of a Demon. Neither you nor any of the Deities can match him for power. I think even that Genesis Dragon of yours would struggle against him…

Is Kuro implying that even Ouma couldn’t defeat Avis? How could that be?

Even when Avis appeared, Ouma carried on dozing as usual, looking totally unconcerned.

But even Ouma lost to the Sage. He certainly knows there are beings in this world tougher than he. No doubt, he is wise enough to see that.

So the very fact that Ouma didn’t react to Avis means that Avis isn’t worth catching Ouma’s interest. Of course, it follows that the Sage who beat Ouma was even stronger than Avis.

Though that doesn’t mean that Avis is in any way weak…

Anyway, I think you’d better flee and hide behind the other side of that door, on Earth. Avis doesn’t have the power to transcend worlds. What I’m saying is, you’re never going to be able to beat him. Capisce?

I understand what Kuro’s saying.

With my current level of strength…I don’t think I’ll be able to defeat Avis. And if we fled to Earth, I doubt Avis could follow us. But…

As I rush through the town, I see a woman clutching her child in her arms, trying to protect them from a Demon Beast…

“Hyah!”

“Gragh!”

I whip out my Omnisword and cut the Demon Beast in two.

“Are you all right?”

“Wh-what? Y-yes! Th-thank you!”

I help up the woman, who’s staring at me as if dazed, and tell her she should run to the castle. No doubt they’ll be shielding the townsfolk there. Seeing the woman off, I respond to Kuro.

“…I know that running away is the sensible thing to do, and honestly, I really would prefer not to be a part of this. I just want a peaceful, happy life…but I can’t see people in grave peril and do nothing!”

Realizing I’m serious, Kuro sighs with exasperation.

Gah… You sentimental fool. Do as you like. I will sit back and only lend you my strength when you ask for it.

“Understood. Thanks, Kuro.”

Pfft.

Kuro sounds embarrassed…and lapses into silence.

“Well, now that I know I have you in my corner, Kuro, I guess I should get stuck in and…”

“What the heck are you doing here?!”

“Huh?”

I hear a somewhat familiar voice… I look in that direction, and…

“M-M-Miss Kagurazaka?!”

To my surprise, there stands Mai Kagurazaka, the shrine maiden I met when my friends and I went ghost-hunting during a trip.

“Wh-what are you doing here?!”

“That’s my line! What are you even doing in this world?!”

We’re equally stunned, but Demon Beasts are closing in, and then the one nearest to us pounces.

“Graagh!”

“Out of the way!”

“Groo! Graaa?!”

Kagurazaka whips out a mysterious paper talisman and throws it at the evil beast. As soon as the paper slip touches the beast, black smoke billows from the creature, and it disappears in a paroxysm of agony.

I quickly cut down another Demon Beast with my Omnisword. Kagurazaka then scowls at me.

“Darn it! These monsters appeared at my shrine when you and your friends came ghost-hunting! So you were the cause of that as well?”

“N-no, that’s not true! I have no idea why those beasts showed up!”

“Then what are you doing here? If you weren’t involved, then why are you here now? Were you…were you summoned like I was…?”

“Summoned?”

I suddenly recall the conversation we had with King Orgis and Iris before all this hell broke loose. King Orgis said he’d summoned a holy maiden to fight against the Demons…

“The—the holy maiden who was summoned… That was you, Miss Kagurazaka?!”

“Right! I’ve been summoned here, to a place I’ve never even heard of, and the people here told me they need my help because their world is in mortal danger… I mean, I had no idea what they were on about, but I couldn’t just turn my back and refuse to help, could I?”

Kagurazaka flings paper talismans one after another, like she’s venting her anger, and soon all the Demon Beasts are wiped out of existence.

They turn into black mist and dissipate the very instant her paper talismans so much as brush them. I noticed it before, too, but it seems obvious now that Kagurazaka has some special powers that work against Demons. And maybe being summoned here has done something to amplify those powers…?

Even if she does have amazing power against Demons, though, the thought of her being pulled here against her will and forced to fight them…

I gulp, at a loss for words, as Kagurazaka’s voice becomes even more bitter and angry.

“And from what I heard, I apparently have no way of ever getting back to Earth, either! They drag me here and tell me to fight for this world? Why?! Why do I have to say yes to such an unreasonable request?!”

“…”

“…Still. I can’t just see people suffering and stand idly by!”

“…!”

No doubt Kagurazaka was upset, disturbed, confused, and angry about being suddenly summoned and thrust into this conflict.

But once she saw the people needed help…and once she realized she had the power to help them…she had apparently decided to fight.

Her eyes were welling with tears as she faced off against the Demon Beasts.

“Seriously…why me? I’m scared, and I don’t understand why this is happening…but I refuse to stand idly by…!”

Kagurazaka stops, turns to me, and smiles softly.

“…Still, I’m glad. I do know at least one person here. They must have summoned you to this world like they summoned me, right? That last battle, you were really great then. And here you are now, swinging a sword around and fighting these monsters.”

“N-no, I’m just…”

“For now, let’s just work together to help as many people as possible!”

“Oh, but Miss Kagurazaka…”

She refocuses her attention and begins fighting her way away from me. No doubt her thinking is we ought to split up and tackle the enemies that way, to save as many people as possible. But it’s still too dangerous out here…

“Darn it! There’s too many of them…!”

I keep trying to take out all the Demon Beasts, but more and more keep pouring into the city…

I’d like to try to wipe them all out with magic, but I don’t want to risk harming the townspeople who haven’t managed to escape yet.

“What—what do I do?!”

I rack my brains as I keep trying to cut down each beast that appears in front of me…

“Holy Lordtitle acquired.”

“What?!!!”

A translucent board appears in front of me.

I haven’t been leveling up much lately, and I’ve had fewer chances to get new skills…and I certainly didn’t expect to gain a new title right now. Plus, it sounds like kind of a big deal…

I immediately look up the description of the Holy Lord title.

Holy Lord—Title bestowed upon those with the soul of a Deity, who have mastered three or more Deity techniques, and who have defeated more than 100 Demonic beings.Holy Lord’s Powerskill unlocked.

“But I’m not even a Deity?!!!”

What the heck is this title?! It sounds like the pinnacle of Divinity to me?! And what the heck is Holy Lord’s Power? I focus on the words Holy Lord’s Power, and its effects come up on the display.

“W-whoa!”

Eyes wide, I continue moving to the town center, fighting beasts as I go. Then…

“I don’t really get it, but…guess I have to give it a go!”

Wielding my Omnisword, I gather my strength. Golden light begins to emanate from my body. I concentrate that golden energy into my sword and swing it in a circular motion with all my might.

“Holy Lord’s Power!”

From the Omnisword spills forth a golden wave of light, which takes the form of a dragon.

Like some divine force, the vibrations from the shock wave spread, gaining momentum and permeating the town.

My normal slashing attack would destroy the surrounding buildings and any people standing in the way… But this…

“Gyah!”

“Groo!”

The golden light wave annihilates the Demon Beasts one after the other, without causing any harm to the surrounding terrain, the buildings, or any people. What’s more…

“Th-this light…”

“It’s—it’s warm…”

“Hey! Look! My wound! It’s…”

“My hand! My hand’s back to normal!”

Amazingly, the light seems to instantly heal the wounds of whoever it touches. This is the effect of the Holy Lord’s Power, which can be wielded only by those who have acquired the title of Holy Lord. The power to exert the desired effect only on those I specifically choose.

But using it doesn’t come without risks.

“Gah…! Agh…! Haah… Haah… This is bad!”

I drop weakly to my knees, using my Omnisword to prop myself up.

Right… It seems using the Holy Lord’s Power skill consumes a great deal of the wielder’s life force. Using it once is enough to cause me great pain and suffering…and using it more than once in a day would shorten my lifespan for sure.

I stay there, resting, unable to take even one more step… Then Kagurazaka returns, looking flushed.

“There was this flash of light across the sky like some divine beam from heaven, and all the monsters disappeared… Wait, did you do that?!”

“Well… Yeah, I guess…”

“Hey! You’re drenched in sweat?! Are you all right?!”

“N-never mind about me… What about…the Demon…Beasts…?”

“Demon Beasts? You mean the monsters? They all disappeared when that light hit them. I took a good look around on the way here, and there’s no more signs of disturbance. I think they’re all gone…”

“I—I see. Well, that’s good.”

Hearing this, I go slack and sink to the floor.

“W-whoa?!”

“Ah-ha-ha… The sensation of relief made the last of my strength reserves leave me.”

“Hey! Don’t scare me like that! I was so relieved to meet someone here that I know… Don’t go dying and leaving me all alone in this world!”

Kagurazaka seems petrified by the thought. Which reminds me, what I meant to say earlier…

“I didn’t have the chance to mention this earlier, but…I actually wasn’t summoned here.”

“What?”

“There’s a mysterious door in my house…in my home back in Japan…and it allows me to travel between this world and Earth…”

“Are you kidding right now?!”

Kagurazaka’s eyes are as wide as saucers. I know it sounds kind of unbelievable, but then again, Kagurazaka herself has ended up here, in another world.

“So if you want to…you can go back to Earth any time you want.”

“You’re serious…?”

Kagurazaka looks stunned.

Eventually, she seems to sort through her thoughts and ends up heaving a big sigh.

“Haaaaaah…… Hmm… I think I get it. You’re able to freely travel between this world and Earth, which is why you were able to display such power back then…”

“That’s pretty much the gist of it.”

I manage to lift up my head to look at her, only to find that Kagurazaka is staring intently at me.

“…Even so, your power is odd. Since being summoned to this world, I’ve been taught many things. Things like magic, skills, stats… But it’s obvious that the power you have is far beyond that of any ordinary person…”

“Er, I’m not sure I’d agree with that…”

“…Well, whatever. I’m just relieved to know I won’t have to spend the rest of my days in this strange world!” Kagurazaka looks relieved for a second. Then her expression becomes serious again. She gazes out at the town, which is peaceful now that the Demon Beasts’ rampage is over. “There’s a lot I’m concerned about… Things that don’t make any sense to me… But if those Demons are threatening the people of this world, then…I want to help. I want to fight. I think I can choose that for myself now… Thanks to you, I can return to Earth at any time.”

“Wow, Miss Kagurazaka…”

“So I’ll stay in this world for a little longer. Those creatures might attack again soon. Hey, you’re a high school student just like me, right?”

“What? Oh yeah.”

“Then you’ll understand. It’s summer vacation right now, yeah? I think I’ll hang out here and keep an eye out for those beasts…at least for the summer.”

This girl… She really is such a kind person.

“All right. Then I’ll come and fetch you just before summer vacation ends.”

And so, I ended up meeting Miss Kagurazaka again in the most unlikely of places… Still, I’m glad we were both able to weather the attack safely. I take a steadying breath, recalling the parting words of Avis…the Demon who will, no doubt, return to attack us someday…

“I mean…seriously. What a lot of stuff to happen, all at once…”

“Affirmative. Good work.”

After the attack, we were able to return home safely.

In the end, with all the reconstruction work and other things going on, Regal no longer had the capacity to entertain us, so we were released from our obligation and allowed to return home early.

I never expected to be reunited with Miss Kagurazaka under circumstances like those… Oh, wait, I forgot to ask her not to tell anyone about the fact I’m from Earth as well…! Well, I don’t think anyone would go out of their way to ask Miss Kagurazaka about me, so it’s okay…right?

Lexia and some of the others stayed behind in Regal to help with reconstruction efforts, and Kagurazaka said she wouldn’t be going back to Earth yet. So it was just me and my usual crew heading home… Nice and relaxing.

When it was time to leave, we found a quiet spot and used teleportation magic to go straight home. Traveling by carriage just takes so much time.

A lot happened, and now I’m really wiped…

“…Sort of noisy outside, isn’t it?”

“Affirmative. I can hear fighting.”

As soon as we get home, I spot the commotion going on outside of the Sage’s garden. I’m so tired, and I’d rather ignore it, but it sounds like a serious fight, and the house is being shaken to its very foundations. I can’t exactly relax in these conditions, so I go outside to see what’s going on.

“Gragh!”

“Roagh!”

Outside, I can see some monsters I’ve never seen before…fighting ferociously. Looks like an ogre and a goblin…

“Wh-what’s going on here?”

“Unknown. But they seem to be fighting to the death.”

Just as Yuti said, neither the ogre nor the goblin is showing any signs of backing down. Both are intent on seeing it through to the very end.

Since I’ve never seen these monsters before, I figure I’ll try using Identify.

Kaiser Ogre

Level:2,Magic:5000,Attack:50000,Defense:10000,Agility:3000,Intelligence:1000,Luck:1000

Emperor Goblin

Level:2,Magic:3000,Attack:45000,Defense:5000,Agility:10000,Intelligence:1000,Luck:1000

Yikes, they’re strong! But more importantly, what are they doing here?! I’ve never seen anything like either of them in the vicinity of the Sage’s house before…

“What’s going on…? Wait a minute…”

“Question. What is wrong?”

“Ah… It’s just, I spotted a strange stone on the ground in between them…”

“A stone?”

Right in between the ferociously fighting monsters lies a beautiful blue stone resembling an egg.

I’ve never seen a stone like it before, and it strikes me as very odd. Suddenly, the Kaiser Ogre and Emperor Goblin seem to notice I’m staring, and they stop fighting and charge directly at the Sage’s house.

““Graagh!””

“W-whoa, what’s going on?”

“…Conjecture. Those two are fighting over that stone.”

“Huh?! Wh-what for?!”

“Unknown. However, when they saw you looking in what appeared to be a coveting way at that stone, they seemed to have decided you’re also an enemy.”

“That’s a bit of a leap, isn’t it?!”

I don’t particularly want that stone! I don’t even know what it is!

“But why have monsters like this appeared here now, anyhow? They seem much stronger than Goblin Generals and Bloody Ogres…”

“They are Lord-tier. They’re ogre and goblin royalty. In other words, the pinnacle.”

“What?! So you’re saying that they’re the strongest of the goblin and ogre races?!”

“Affirmative.”

Seriously, why are these monsters fighting in front of my house?! I don’t want that at the best of times, but now it seems they’ve suddenly decided I’m their enemy.

“In that case…!”

Taking out my Absolute Spear, I strengthen myself with Infuse Magic and aim my spear at the Kaiser Ogre while gathering my Demon power. It may be an excessive attack, but I’ll use all my strength to finish the ogre off in one go. My Absolute Spear whizzes through the air at incredible speed, obliterating the top half of the Kaiser Ogre’s body.

“Gagh?!”

The Emperor Goblin, seeing that the Kaiser Ogre’s upper body has apparently suddenly disappeared, freezes in shock.

But I don’t miss a second. I whip out my Void Bow and fire an arrow right at it.

“Gragh? Groo!”

The Emperor Goblin notices something coming toward it and quickly blocks the invisible arrow with the sword it’s wielding.

“Graaagh!”

It roars at me, enraged, but even as it was blocking my first arrow, I was flinging my Absolute Spear once more, which had zoomed back to my hand. Just like the Kaiser Ogre earlier, the Emperor Goblin is unable to deflect my Absolute Spear, and its upper body is obliterated into particles of light, which quickly dissipate. Unfortunately, though, there don’t appear to be any item drops.

“You have gained a level.”

“What?”

Seeing this message…the first in so long…I let out a gasp of surprise. I quickly check my stats, and sure enough, my level has increased by one.

Yuuya Tenjou

Species:Human (Transcended),Occupation:None,Level:2,Mana:12000,Attack:18000,Defense:18000,Agility:18000,Intelligence:11500,Luck:18000,BP:100

“Huh?”

Now that my level has increased, I notice something different from before. Before evolving into something called a Human (Transcended), my stats would increase by ten every time I gained a level, but now they’ve increased by a thousand! Is this another perk of evolving…?

Though it doesn’t seem that there’s any change in the amount of extra BP I get from leveling up. Hmm, I’ll have to think hard about what stats to allocate that extra one hundred to.

…I didn’t get any drops from that battle just now. And lately, I seem to be getting into quite a bit of trouble. Maybe I should invest in my luck a little bit.

It may be a small amount, but I quickly decide to allocate all my BP to luck. And the result is…

Yuuya Tenjou

Species:Human (Transcended),Occupation:None,Level:2,Mana:12000,Attack:18000,Defense:18000,Agility:18000,Intelligence:11500,Luck:18100,BP:0

It’s only one hundred. But it’s better than nothing. I can only hope this increased luck stat has some effect.

After defeating two monsters and fiddling with my stats, I’m just taking a bit of a breather. Yuti gives me a nod of approval.

“I’m impressed. You’ve gotten stronger, Yuuya. There’s no way I could beat you now.”

“R-really?”

In addition to training with Master Rabbit, I’ve also started training with Iris, so yeah, even I think I’ve become stronger than before…

The very next thing I do is head over to that stone on the ground that the monsters were fighting over. If I just leave it lying around, it might attract more monsters. So I pick it up.

“Well… What do you think this is?”

“Unknown. No idea.”

“Woof.”

“Oink.”

Back in the house, I take a closer look at the stonelike thing. But even Yuti, Night, and Akatsuki can’t seem to identify it. In that case, the only other person I can ask is Ouma…

“Hmph! You’ve found an incredibly rare item, you know!”

“Oh, so you know what this stone is, then?”

“I do. And it’s not a stone. It’s an egg.”

“Oh, it’s an egg… Wait, an egg?!”

Count on the Genesis Dragon to know. This beautiful blue stone…is actually an egg. I’d noticed it was egg-shaped, but who’d have thought it was an actual egg? This raises the question of what kind of creature might hatch from an egg like this…

Ouma nods self-importantly. Then his expression quickly clouds over.

“…Not that I have any proof, though.”

“What?!”

“Well, don’t go blaming me. If that is in fact the egg of the creature I suspect it to be, then it is an incredibly rare find indeed.”

“R-really?”

“Let’s try hatching it and find out.”

“Hatch it…? I mean, we can’t hatch it just like that, can we? Is this something I can really care for all by myself…?”

“It’s a bit too late now to think about all that, isn’t it? Just relax. If my prediction is correct, then I believe the creature in that egg is something like Akatsuki… In other words, an orphaned creature.”

“B-but what if it’s not, and…?”

“Oh, stop dillydallying! Get on with the hatching!”

Ouma slaps my leg.

“All… All right, then. Well… How do I hatch it?”

“Hmm. Try infusing it with your magic.”

“Right, right… And then?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it?!”

It’s going to hatch just like that? It’s an egg, so don’t we have to warm it up or something? I must look very skeptical, because Ouma continues in an exasperated tone.

“It’s not a chicken egg, you know?!”

“Oh, right… Well… Okay, then…”

“Anticipation. And excitement.”

Yuti is staring at the egg, looking entertained. Night and Akatsuki, too, are gazing with great interest at the egg I’m holding.

Feeling their stares on me, I infuse the egg with my magic, and it gradually begins to grow warm in my hand.

“Ah.”

A crack appears in the egg and slowly spreads. Finally, the creature emerges from inside the egg.

“…Cheep. Cheep.”

“Whoa…”

A small bird with translucent blue feathers emerges from within the egg.

At first, the bird just chirps with its eyes closed, probably because it was just hatched and its eyes haven’t adjusted to light yet… But eventually its eyes do open, and it looks straight at me.

“Cheep. Cheep! Cheep!”

“S-so cute…”

“Woof!”

“Oink!”

Night and Akatsuki seem to agree, and we all gaze at the little bird chirping merrily in my palm.

“Beautiful. It’s as blue as the sky.”

Yuti smiles as she observes the bird in my hand.

But Ouma seems excited for a different reason.

“Aha! Just as I thought!”

“What?”

“It’s a sacred bird, known as a Luan. Like I said before, it’s a species that’s similar to Akatsuki.”

“Oink?”

Akatsuki lifts his head and snorts curiously.

Ouma smiles wryly at this but continues.

“Though unlike Akatsuki, while it does have a sacred power to fight against the Demons, that is not its true nature.”

“It’s not? Then what is it?”

“It is said this bird will appear to guide one born worthy of being the true lord and ruler of this world.”

“Hmm, I see…” I don’t really get what he means, but it sounds very important. The true lord and ruler… “…Huh? So doesn’t that mean…that maybe it was a bad idea for someone like me to hatch it, after all?!”

“Hmm? How so?”

“Well… The true lord and ruler? Wouldn’t it be better if it goes to get raised by that person?”

“Yes. But that person is right here.”

“………What?”

I make a dumb squawking noise, befuddled by what Ouma’s saying.

Seeing how flummoxed I am, Ouma rephrases himself more clearly.

“Listen, Yuuya. You are worthy of being a true lord, which is why it has appeared here.”

“…”

Ouma sounds almost exasperated.

In response, I say…

“Whaaaaat?!”

More of a screech, really.

What? Me? A lord and ruler? I don’t remember being born as anyone that important and…

Thinking about it… I suddenly recall that title I got today… Holy Lord.

“The title?!!!”

“Shock. Yuuya, lord of the world?”

“Woof.”

“Oink.”

Night and Akatsuki are looking at me in astonishment…but no one’s more astonished than I am.

What the hell? A true lord and ruler? No one consulted me!

Then the little blue bird in my hand tilts its head adorably.

“Cheep?”

“…Still… This one’s so cute. I feel like I don’t really mind either way.”

“You’re kind of a big deal, ain’tcha, kid?!”

I’m not sure I’m such a big shot, but somehow, faced with this cuteness, I don’t mind what happens. And being called the true lord and ruler feels weird, but it also doesn’t feel real in any way, either.

Now that I’ve had some time to process it a little, I decide to ask Ouma about something that’s been on my mind.

“By the way, you said this bird’s rare, but how rare is rare?”

“Well… I’ve lived on this planet since its creation, but I’ve only seen one once before. Does that give you some context?”

“Are you serious?!”

“Astonishment. Hard to believe.”

To reiterate, Ouma’s been alive since the creation of this world. Since Ouma’s only seen one Luan once before, that must make it incredibly rare indeed.

“That being said, I don’t know much about that bird or its habitat, and so on. I don’t know what sort of abilities it may have.”

“I—I see…”

“Cheep?”

I use my Identify skill on the little blue bird perched on my hand.

Luan

Level:1,Mana:—,Attack:—,Defense:—,Agility:—,Intelligence:—,Luck:—

Skills:Hell Revival, Resurrection, Guide of the King, Blue Flame.

“Wh-what the…?”

“Unbelievable.”

Ouma, reading the stat list along with me, is just as shocked as I am.

First of all, the stats are blank. And I can only see the names of the skills. What’s more, the skill names have a dangerous ring to them. What is this Resurrection? Does it mean I won’t die? And Hell Revival…? It’s just a bunch of scary-sounding words.

There’s also the skill Blue Flame, which makes sense since the bird’s blue, and the skill Guide of the King… Well, Ouma mentioned that…but I don’t really get what any of these mean. What do they do? I guess Blue Flame is just like the name suggests, controlling blue flames or something.

“Ouma…”

“Just to inform you, I’ve never heard of any of these skills, so don’t ask.”

“Gah.”

I was going to ask, but I can’t now, can I? Skills even Ouma’s never heard of… Quite a mystery. It just looks like a cute little bird! I can’t stop looking at the little one in my hand. It turns to hide its head bashfully under its wing.

“Cheep.”

“So cute!”

“Cute, cute, cute. Don’t you have anything else to say?”

But it is cute. I can’t help smiling at it… And then Yuti pipes up.

“Question. What are we going to name this chick?”

“Huh?”

“Confirmation. This chick will also become part of the family, right?”

“Cheep? Cheep!”

The blue bird bobs its head, like it’s agreeing with Yuti, and it looks at me with expectant eyes… Sparkling eyes!!!

“I… I’m not really any good at thinking up names…”

But like when I thought of Night’s name, the first thing I noticed about this chick—its sky-blue color—gives me an inkling.

So…

“You’re…Ciel. What do you think of the name Ciel?”

I’m pretty sure it means “sky” in French…

“Cheep! Cheeeep!”

At the sound of its name, the chick…Ciel…starts flapping happily around on my hand.

“That’s great. Well then, I look forward to getting to know you, Ciel.”

“Cheep!”

And so, quite by chance, our little family grows by one.

Chapter 4: The Unrivaled (Fake) Boyfriend

“Cheep! Cheep!”

“Ha-ha, are you enjoying your walk?”

“Cheep!”

I’m currently taking a walk around Earth with the hatchling, Ciel. After all, I want Ciel to learn about Earth as well. Night and Akatsuki really wanted to go for a walk together, but it would mean leaving Ouma home alone, so in the end I had them stay to keep him company.

Hmm… I want to somehow show Ouma around Earth, but to do that, I first have to make sure that nobody realizes he’s a dragon. If he gets discovered, it’ll be a big problem. So unfortunately, I have no choice but to keep Ouma at home for now.

“Cheep-cheep cheeep! ♪”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Cheep!”

Ciel’s perched on my right shoulder, rubbing its body against my cheek while chirping happily.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Cheep! Peep!”

“Adorable!”

Ciel is nuzzling up to me, like it’s saying I love you!

Perhaps it thinks I’m its parent, since I hatched it from the egg. A bird like Ciel isn’t such an unusual sight on Earth, but its beautiful blue feathers and the fact that it’s perched on my shoulder without a leash or anything are a bit odd. People are giving us curious looks as we pass. Oh well. I’m used to weird stares, after taking Akatsuki on walks.

While I’m thinking about this, we approach Ousei Academy. Suddenly, someone calls out from behind us.

“Hmm? Is that you, Yuuya?”

“Huh? Oh, hi, Kaori!”

When I turn toward the voice, I see Kaori there. She’s wearing her school uniform, even though we’re on summer vacation. I assume she’s doing something school-related, then.

“What a coincidence! Are you out for a walk? Hey! Who’s the cutie?”

“Oh, this is my new family member, Ciel.”

“Cheep!”

Ciel raises a wing in greeting following my introduction. Adorable!

Kaori seems to share my sentiments. Her eyes light up.

“Ciel! Um, is Ciel like Night and Akatsuki?”

“Yeah, a creature from the other world.”

Kaori knows about the door in my house, and she’s been to the world beyond, so she immediately figures out Ciel’s not a normal animal.

While we’re chatting, I suddenly remember my promise to Miu, and I decide to take this opportunity to get Kaori’s opinion. Since I’m going to be meeting Miu’s father in the guise of her boyfriend, I need formal clothes…like a suit. But I have no idea where to buy suits…?

Though I can’t tell Kaori all the details, since it’s Miu’s private family matter, I give her the basic gist, enough for her to be able to assist.

“Hmm… So let’s see. You need formal attire, but you don’t know where to get any?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“In that case, let’s ask my father!”

“Huh? You mean Mr. Tsukasa?”

I’m a little surprised, but Kaori nods.

“Yeah! Actually, I had to take care of something here for Dad, so I’m on my way to school. Dad’s working at school today…”

“I see… Ah, but I’m not wearing my uniform right now. Is that okay?”

“It’s totally fine! Let’s go!”

Thanks to Kaori, I’ve secured a meeting with the school principal, Mr. Tsukasa. I quickly use teleportation magic to send Ciel home. Then Kaori and I head to the Ousei Academy principal’s office.

There, Mr. Tsukasa seems like he’s just wrapping up some business. He lifts his head and addresses us.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, no! I’m sorry for barging in on you unannounced like this…”

“It’s perfectly fine. I haven’t seen you much lately. I’ve been keen to hear about your recent activities.”

Seeing Mr. Tsukasa’s kind smile, I realize again what a truly nice fellow he is… Usually, someone in my position would talk to their parents, but my circumstances are a bit unusual.

Never mind, though, since here I am with Mr. Tsukasa to give me advice, and I couldn’t think of anyone better. Good thing I decided to put those points into my luck stat!

“That reminds me…I heard you, Kaori, and a few friends went to our vacation house. How did you like it?”

“Oh yes! I had a great time. Thank you again for the invitation.”

“Ha-ha-ha. Don’t be so polite and stiff.”

“Yeah! I really enjoyed spending time with you all,” Kaori says earnestly.

Mr. Tsukasa and Kaori are both beaming kindly. They really are so nice. I respect them both. And I’d like to become a man like Mr. Tsukasa when I grow up. His smile widens, like he’s thinking of something pleasant.

“It has been difficult for Kaori to make friends, perhaps because I’m the principal here… In junior high, I’m afraid she had quite a hard time. But since you came, she’s been able to relax and form friendships, and she always tells me about her days at school now with such excitement. Thank you, Yuuya.”

“Oh, Dad…”

Mr. Tsukasa lowers his head to me, and I panic.

“N-no! It’s Kaori who’s helped me out so much! I never imagined I’d be able to hang out with a bunch of friends like I did this summer. I’m really, really glad I was able to transfer here.”

I bow my head now, and Mr. Tsukasa chuckles.

“Ha-ha. If this keeps up, we’ll end up just bowing to each other until the sun goes down.”

“Y-yes, you’re right…”

“So it seems you had something to ask me. What’s up?”

“Ah, yes. Actually…”

I quickly summarize what I wanted to discuss, keeping the details about Miu vague. I can’t spill too much about her family’s private affairs.

Once I’m done with the main points, Mr. Tsukasa looks at me with interest.

“Hmm… You’ve been helping me out a lot with Kaori. If you want a suit as formal attire, how about I get one for you?”

“N-no! It’s okay! I’ll buy it myself!”

“Really? Well, yes, it’s better to choose your own clothes rather than have someone gift them to you. But what you’re looking for is something that will get you through any public situation without any embarrassment, correct?”

“Yes, exactly. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I have no idea where to go to find something like that. Let alone how much it might cost, or what items I might need…”

“Right. Well, let’s go to the store I frequent. Right now.”

“What?!”

I yelp in surprise, caught off guard by this, but before I know what’s happening, Mr. Tsukasa is whisking me off to his tailor.

“Hmm… All these options… I have no idea which to choose.”

“You can say that again…”

Mr. Tsukasa brings me to a high-end tailor’s shop, and as soon as we arrive, I’m provided with a variety of suit options.

Incidentally, Kaori’s come along, too, to give her opinion. A woman’s opinion on clothing may be completely different from a man’s, after all.

Mulling it over, Mr. Tsukasa sighs.

“What a conundrum.”

“What? You mean…? None of them look good on me…?”

If none of these suit me…then I have absolutely no idea what I’ll do… That’s my line of thinking, but Mr. Tsukasa shakes his head.

“No, it’s the opposite.”

“The opposite…?”

“You look amazing in them all, Yuuya!” Kaori exclaims.

“Whaaat?!”

I’m taken aback… That can’t be true, can it?

“They’re all suits, but there’s so many different cuts, fabrics, patterns. The number of buttons, the construction of the collar… You just have to choose the best combination, but since you look amazing in everything you wear, Yuuya, it’s a big problem. A nice problem to have, but an issue all the same,” Mr. Tsukasa elaborates.

I flush a deep red. I don’t know anything about suits, but either way, being complimented like that…

Some time passes, but we still can’t reach a decision. Mr. Tsukasa and Kaori are both muttering away when a new customer enters the store.

“Huh? Is that you…Yuuya?”

“Huh? H-Hikaru?!”

Of all people, in strolls Hikaru, who was the photographer when Miu and I did that magazine modeling shoot together.

“What a coincidence. Fancy seeing you…here…”

“Yeah… Are you here to buy a suit, too, Hikaru?”

“Yeah. I was thinking of using suits in an upcoming shoot… But hmm… Who’s this you’re with?”

Hikaru spots Mr. Tsukasa and Kaori then, but based on how they greet one another, it seems like they are already acquainted.

Mr. Tsukasa’s eyes light up as he fills Hikaru in on why I’m here. After listening to the explanation, Hikaru’s eyes light up, too.

“I see, so you came to buy a suit for Yuuya, but you can’t decide…”

“That’s right.”

“Then leave it to me!”

“Huh?”

“It must be fate that we met here. I’m a pro in this field, so I’ll find you a suit that matches you perfectly, Yuuya!”

And with Hikaru’s announcement, the suit search resumes anew. He really is a pro… He quickly selects a suit from the options Mr. Tsukasa and Kaori were deliberating over.

“While it’s true that you’d look good in anything, Yuuya, what I’m hearing is that you want to look very proper, right? So I think an English-style suit would work best. Italian suits are sexy and would look great on you, but what you want is to look crisp and put-together. And I think a three-piece would work best…”

Suit-related jargon spills from his lips, but I have no idea what he’s talking about. Still, with Hikaru’s help, it seems I’ve found a suit.

“How about this?”

“Yeah, I think it works!”

“It looks great on you!”

I decide to buy the entire suit set recommended by Hikaru, since both Mr. Tsukasa and Kaori seem to approve.

After I finish purchasing the suit, I thank him again.

“Thank you so much, Hikaru!”

“It’s cool, no worries. I had fun shopping for you, too.”

“R-really?!”

“That’s right! Yuuya, you need to have more confidence in yourself. I don’t know the situation, but you wear the clothes… Don’t let the clothes wear you, okay?”

“…Okay!”

Hikaru’s right. He took the trouble to find me the perfect outfit. I need to at least pretend to be confident when I wear it, or I’ll never look the part. With that in mind, I buy my first ever suit.

“…Just as I thought. A horde of Demon Beasts was no trouble for him…”

A few days had passed since Yuuya and Mai Kagurazaka worked together to defeat the Demon Beasts. Now Avis, back at the World’s Landfill, was muttering to himself with begrudging admiration. Avis examined his palm, waved it around for a second, then pointed it at the World’s Landfill.

A thin ray of black energy shot out from his palm.

The beam passed through the World’s Landfill and disappeared… Then the space where the ray of light had passed through suddenly cracked like a bullet had passed by. With a colossal shattering sound, the World’s Landfill was suddenly engulfed in black flames.

Not that there had been much in the World’s Landfill to start with, but now… Now it was annihilated. It was like a part of existence had been hollowed out… Not a single thing remained; there was not even a barren expanse of land, just a pitch-black space of…nothingness.

“…Ha-ha-ha! Wonderful. Marvelous!”

Avis laughed maniacally and looked down at his hand again.

“This—this is the ultimate Demon power! Behold! The attack of the void! Everything has been wiped out of existence! Ha-ha-ha!”

Just like Avis said, it wasn’t a destructive blow that would reduce everything to smithereens. It was a different, utterly terrifying power that would literally make its target cease to exist.

“Phew… Good thing I’ve finally acclimatized my body to this power. But yes… This is why I couldn’t face that foreign element until now,” Avis muttered, gazing into the void, mulling over his own immense power.

In the direction he was staring, Yuuya’s form was clearly visible.

“The Weald… To think that humans actually live in a dump like that…”

Avis’s eyes lit up with madness, and he flashed a ferocious grin.

“Now that I’ve acclimatized to my power…the time has come to kill you!” Avis cackled loudly as a dark mist enveloped him, and he dissipated into the air.

A few days after I bought the suit…

The suit that Hikaru picked out for me is a perfect fit, and the fabric is very high-quality. What’s more, I’m currently also wearing the Shirt of Royal Silk and the Leather Shoes of the Dragon God that the Sage left me. These are of much higher quality than anything I could buy on Earth.

“Agh, I’m nervous…”

I’m early to meet Miu. Our meeting place has a ton of high-end stores. It’s not the kind of place I’d usually come to.

“Now that I think of it… Just what kind of man is Miu’s father, anyway?”

From what I’ve heard, he sounds loaded… I’m definitely curious about Miu’s father, but right now I have my own concerns at the forefront of my mind.

“M-maybe I look weird? I hope I look all right…”

I even got my hair styled today, trying my best not to embarrass Miu in my “role” as her boyfriend. I’ve only ever had a simple trim at the barbershop. It was my first time at a salon. I might look snappy, but I still feel awkward, and I feel like the people passing by on the street are staring at me more than usual.

Some people even stop and stare. Perhaps it’s better than people just raking me with their eyes as they pass…?

If I act too anxious, I’ll look like a real dork. I use my Unity of Body and Mind skill and Mental Fortitude, then try to just chill out and wait. Eventually…

“Yuuya! So sorry I’m late!”

“Miu?”

Miu appears, wearing an elegant dress, and waves, but her voice is like a little mouse’s squeak. I can see a man standing behind her… This must be her father. I quickly walk over to join them.

“Hello. Miu, are you…all right?”

“Huh?! I’m fine! It’s just… Uh…”

Miu’s face is bright red as she looks me over. Oh no… Maybe my outfit looks dorky after all? Have I embarrassed her? I’m desperate to do a fit check, but I can’t do anything weird in front of who I assume is Miu’s father…

I swallow my panic.

“Um, Miu… Is this…?”

“Ah! S-sorry. This is my father, um…”

“Hideyuki Midou. I hear you’re dating my daughter?”

Miu’s father…Mr. Hideyuki…is staring sharply at me.

“Hello, sir. My name is Yuuya Tenjou. I’ve been lucky enough to be spending a lot of time with your daughter lately.”

“Oh, indeed?”

My response is smooth, no hint of nerves, and Mr. Hideyuki raises an eyebrow. Usually I’d be a gibbering wreck…but I’m able to stay much calmer than I’d expected. It might be because I’ve been meeting a lot of super-important people lately, like the kings of Arselia and Regal. Thanks to that, I’m able to choke back my nerves and appear confident.

Mr. Hideyuki turns, gesturing to show me the way.

“I’ve made a dinner reservation. Follow me.”

I breathe a sigh of relief as I trail after Mr. Hideyuki. At least I seem to have made it past the first impression. I was half afraid I’d be sent packing at first sight and never make it to dinner. We arrive at what appears to be a very high-class restaurant. Oh no! I don’t know table manners!

I’m still suppressing my terror when we’re escorted to a table for four. Miu raises an eyebrow at her dad.

“Dad, isn’t it just the three of us tonight…?”

“No. Someone else is coming. I’ve asked your potential fiancé to join us.”

“What?!!!”

“…”

Miu seems totally shocked. I mean, I’m shocked too, but if her dad didn’t even tell his own daughter about this… Ignoring Miu’s reaction, Mr. Hideyuki continues calmly, “I figured it’d be a good opportunity for me to meet your boyfriend, and for you to meet the suitor I want to introduce you to, at the same time.”

“Th-that’s not what we discussed!”

“Excuse me? You have a problem with my decision, do you, young lady?”

“Ack!”

Miu falls silent as Mr. Hideyuki glowers at her.

Whoa. Mr. Hideyuki doesn’t seem to have any intention of hearing Miu out… It hadn’t occurred to me that Miu’s marriage suitor might be here. But since this is apparently what’s happening, I’ve got no choice but to do my best to play my role as Miu’s boyfriend…and not embarrass her.

But the more immediate issue is… What about my table manners? First, I should try to think of a topic to discuss with Mr. Hideyuki…but as soon as we sit down, a man approaches, and it looks like he’s the person Miu is to be introduced to…

“My apologies, Mr. Hideyuki. Work ran long…”

The man looks to be in his mid-twenties and is stylishly dressed in a high-quality suit. With his short brown hair and neat features, he gives off the impression of a capable young CEO. Uh-oh, it looks like I’ve been beaten already, haven’t I? I mean, look at me. My outfit. Obviously, I’m wearing a suit. But the guy I’m looking at right now…is really wearing a suit. He’s got the confidence of an older guy. Yikes, what do I do?

Mr. Hideyuki, looking up at the man, smiles for the first time this evening and gets to his feet.

“No problem. Thank you for making the time.”

“It’s my pleasure. I’d never turn down a dinner invite from you, Mr. Hideyuki. And I’ve been eager to speak with you, too, Miu.”

“Ha-ha-ha. I’m so happy to hear you say that.”

The guy’s got rizz and talks the talk. I grew up being bullied to a pulp, so there’s no way I can compete… Just from my first impression, he seems like an impressive person. Totally the kind of person who would be a great husband for Miu… But Miu says she doesn’t want an arranged marriage.

I may have lost already, but I’ll go down fighting to the bitter end…! I’m just making my mind up about this when the man suddenly switches his gaze to me.

“And this is…?”

“…?”

The man’s eyes widen in surprise as he looks at me… Er, what? I mean, I’m the lowest of the low in this situation…

I get to my feet and bow politely to the man.

“My name is Yuuya Tenjou. I’m Miu’s boyfriend.”

“You’re…dating Miu?”

There’s a hard tone in the man’s voice in response to that. Well, it makes sense… I wouldn’t expect my potential fiancée to have a boyfriend, either…! B-but I won’t give up! This is for Miu!

“I’m Yuuma Yamano. Nice to meet you.”

Uh-oh, it’s clear he’s identified me as a threat. What do I do? I’m getting anxiety stomachaches. In this uneasy atmosphere, dinner begins.

I still don’t know table manners…but I’ve made it this far, so I’ll just have to power through somehow!

Right, I’ve got this…! Or at least I pretend to, as I carefully start eating, trying to look elegant. I don’t know if I’m doing a good job or not, but nobody calls me out. I think… I think I’m pulling it off! I’ll keep it up! Although it’s a shame that I’m too nervous to taste anything I’m eating!

However, all my efforts become meaningless once the conversation starts. Mr. Hideyuki and Yuuma converse pleasantly while Miu and I just sit there in silence, left out. Actually, this is a lot more relaxing than the alternative. I start enjoying my food as I chow down in silence. Then Miu leans in to whisper to me.

“…Yuuya, I’m sorry. Not only did I drag you into this, but for you to be treated this way…”

“No, it’s okay. My only concern is not embarrassing you. Although me not being able to join in their conversation might make me look like a bit of a lame duck as your boyfriend…”

“Oh, Yuuya…”

Miu blushes over my sincerity. Then Yuuma suddenly starts talking to me, like he’s noticed me and Miu interacting.

“You seem to get along pretty well, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah, we’re dating.”

“…I’m not sure you mentioned… Where on Earth did you and Miu meet?”

“It all started when we modeled together for a fashion magazine.”

The moment I say that, I see a look of contempt in both Mr. Hideyuki’s and Yuuma’s eyes.

“I see, so you’re a model, too.”

“Basically.”

I’m not. But it sounds better for the “boyfriend ruse” than the truth: that I’m a student. And we did do that photo shoot together. Mr. Hideyuki cuts in mercilessly.

“A job with no future. I can’t entrust Miu to someone like that.”

“What?”

“The entertainment industry is such that the slightest hiccup can ruin your future. I cannot have my daughter living such a precarious life, I tell you.”

“Dad!”

“You stay quiet, Miu!”

Still, I get it. As a parent, people want their kid to have a partner with a steady future.

But I wonder if he’s thought of Miu’s feelings in all this? Miu said she’s opposed to an arranged marriage, fundamentally. I doubt she even wants to get married any time soon.

“It’s an unwelcome intrusion, a young man like you, with no prospects, trying to get close to the Midou family…”

Hmm, he really seems to hate me. And he’s only just met me. But I’m used to people disliking me. It’s a little sad, but I’m not going to let it get me down right now. I’m maintaining steady eye contact with Mr. Hideyuki when Yuuma cuts in.

“Come now, Mr. Hideyuki, let’s calm down. The boy’s young. No doubt he’s reckless about his career because of his youth.”

“No, no, you’re young, too, you know.”

“Ha-ha-ha, well, you’ve got a point there… I know! How about this?”

Yuuma’s eyes light up like he’s just thought of something interesting.

“I brought this up to you before, Mr. Hideyuki, but how about inviting Yuuya as well to come visit one of my branches sometime soon? Then he’ll see the difference in status between him and me.”

“Your branches?”

I scratch my head, not following, and Mr. Hideyuki explains to me with a mocking element in his voice.

“Yuuma runs many entertainment facilities overseas, including large casinos. We’ve been invited to view one of his establishments.”

“Yes. I’d love for you to come along and see it, as well.”

“Uh…”

So the guy has a lot of casinos. Does that make him rich? I really don’t know…

“I’d like to invite you all to enjoy one of the main attractions at my casino…a coin game. Why don’t you join us?”

Then Yuuma and Mr. Hideyuki continue conversing, almost ignoring me as I sit there completely confused over this turn of events.

“Good idea. If the boy goes to your casino, he’ll see just how much he’s lacking. A great plan!”

“Well, it’s not bad. But anyway, it’ll show how secure a future Miu can enjoy if she marries me.”

Ugh… They’re really dragging me through the mud right to my face here. But I guess Yuuma just sees me as an obstacle… Oh well. I’m sitting here with nothing to say for myself… Then Miu slams her hands down on the table and stands up.

“Dad! Why are you saying such horrible things about Yuuya…?!”

“I thought I told you to be quiet?”

“Ugh!”

“…Haaah. It’s a terrible thing, to have an ornery daughter.”

“Not at all! Miu is wonderful.”

“Oh, you think so?”

“Of course…! So, Yuuya? How about it?”

“Yuuya… You don’t have to say yes, you know…” Miu shoots me an apologetic, worried glance.

“It’s all right. I’d like to visit your establishment, Yuuma.”

“Huh?!”

“…”

Yuuma and Mr. Hideyuki, as well as Miu, are staring at me in surprise, as if the last thing they expected was for me to agree. Yuuma looks displeased for a moment but quickly regains his composure.

“Is that so? In that case, please come to the specified location at a later date. I’m sure you understand, but it will require international travel. All right?”

“Fine.”

I nod pleasantly.

Ah, I need to get a passport. I hope I can ask Kaori for her advice again… While my mind spins with thoughts, the evening’s dinner party comes to an end without further incident.

After dinner with Yuuya, Miu was sitting in the car on the way home with her father.

“Well, Yuuma’s a fine figure of a man, isn’t he? Leagues apart from that boy you brought.”

“That’s not true! Yuuya is a much better man!”

“Hah. Your words are irrelevant. Once that boyfriend of yours sees the vast scale of Yuuma’s facility, he’ll realize that you’re out of his league and give up on you for good.”

“…”

Miu lowered her head, angry. After that, she refused to look at or speak to Mr. Hideyuki again.

“This way, then.”

Yuuma guides us to an airplane bound for overseas.

After the dinner, I sought the help of Kaori and Mr. Tsukasa again to get a passport and eventually made my way to the airport as Yuuma directed. I’m just wearing casual traveling clothes today, but knowing that Yuuma’s establishment is a fancy sort of place, I’ve brought with me the three-piece suit I wore to dinner.

I don’t have much experience traveling to far-off places, let alone overseas. I try not to ogle with amazement at everything. I must act cool, elegant, relaxed…!

Yuuma escorts us to a waiting plane with a flourish…like he’s laughing at me.

“Here, my private jet.”

“Wow…”

“…”

Mr. Hideyuki looks impressed, but Miu remains deadpan. Miu was actually scheduled for a modeling job today, but her father used his influence to get it canceled so she would have to accompany us. Honestly, I had no idea how much of an elite Mr. Hideyuki really was, so when I was asking Mr. Tsukasa about my passport, I asked if he knew the name Hideyuki Midou. That’s when I learned for the first time that Miu’s father is the president of Midou Group, one of Japan’s major companies.

Come to think of it, I’ve seen the name Midou around, like on some high-end electronics appliances… I never imagined Miu’s father was such a big deal at such a large company. I was surprised to realize this meant that Miu was the daughter of the president of a huge company. Although anyone’s an elite compared to me, and it’s not like I’ll treat her any differently…

In any case, as the head of such a successful company, it was easy as pie for him to get Miu’s job called off. But Miu really takes pride in her work as a model. No wonder she’s upset he meddled with her job.

More importantly…private jets really exist. I thought they were just an element in fictional stories.

I board the plane, still thinking absently about this, when Yuuma approaches me with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Oh, incidentally, Yuuya, I forgot to mention… Since I work mainly overseas, all of my employees are foreigners. I don’t generally use Japanese in my work. So if you need something, be sure to use English. And, uh, if you can’t speak English, then I recommend just keeping quiet.”

“Right, I understand.”

Communicating in English. Sounds so elite. Well, I guess he is an elite. But my response makes Yuuma click his tongue angrily for some reason.

“Tsk…how long will this composure last?”

“Pardon?”

I heard him clicking his tongue, but I didn’t catch what he said. Wonder what it was? Can’t have been anything good…

Eventually, the plane starts to roll. I’ve got Miu sitting next to me, and Mr. Hideyuki and Yuuma are across the aisle from us.

“Miu, you okay?”

Miu is sitting there looking a bit despondent. She gives me an apologetic smile.

“Ah… I’m sorry. I’m fine. More importantly, are you all right, Yuuya? I’m sorry for dragging you into something like this…”

“I’m all right. It’s my first time going abroad, so I’m looking forward to it.”

I’ve never even been on a plane before this. But I don’t feel particularly nervous or scared. More than anything, I’m excited about being able to fly. I would have loved to bring Night and the others, but since I’m here playing the role of Miu’s boyfriend, I couldn’t really bring them along.

Ciel was just hatched, so I’d like to keep the chick close to me if possible, but I just can’t right now. Once I’m settled at the hotel there, I’ll use teleportation magic to quickly drop in back at home.

Not long after the plane is airborne, Yuuma summons his staff member in English.

“<Coffee.>”

“<Yes, sir.>”

“That’s right, Yuuya, would you like to order something, too?”

“Huh? Ah, Let’s see…”

I’m taken aback for a moment, when he addresses me in Japanese, but I respond soon after, and speak to the staff member myself.

“<Is there a menu?>”

“<Yes, there is. Shall I bring it to you?>”

“<Please do.>”

“““…?!”””

I use my Language Comprehension skill to converse with the staff member in English, which makes not only Miu, but also Yuuma and Mr. Hideyuki look at me in astonishment.

The staff member brings me a menu.

“<Thank you very much.>”

“<Of course, sir.>”

“Ah, what about you, Miu?”

“Eh?! Ah, well then…could I have this, please?”

“Got it.”

Making sure I’ve got Miu’s order right, I decide what I want as well and then tell the staff member.

“<Excuse me. I’d like this and this, please.>”

“<Certainly… Your English is very good, sir.>”

“<What?>”

“<I mean, you don’t have a Japanese accent at all, and you speak very fluidly… Have you ever lived abroad?>”

“<No, this is my first time going overseas… Ha-ha-ha, it makes me really happy to have someone from an English-speaking country compliment my English.>”

“<Heh-heh-heh… Ah, excuse me. I got so caught up in our conversation. I’ll bring your drinks right away.>”

“<Thank you.>”

The staff member beams at me and moves down the aisle.

While I watch them go, Miu pipes up, sounding quite excited.

“Y-Yuuya, you can even speak English?!”

“Y-yeah. I mean, just a little.”

Only because of my Language Comprehension skill. I mean, I’m totally cheating, but it’s just going to be this one time. As Miu’s boyfriend, I can’t go embarrassing myself or her.

After that, our drink orders arrive, and after I chat with Miu and take a nap, we arrive at our destination.

“Tsk. Who does he think he is?”

When the plane lands at the airport, Yuuma’s company car is already waiting for us.

We get in and head to the hotel, where I change into my suit. Then we head straight to the amusement facility that Yuuma runs.

“Whoa…”

It’s an enormous hall, with glowing neon signs and a huge fountain creating a flashy and luxurious atmosphere.

I’m stunned by the sight of it… And then Miu arrives with the others, wearing a beautiful dress.

“Now then, let me show you around. As you can see, I’ve reserved the place today just for you.”

“I see. Thank you very much for that.”

Mr. Hideyuki nods casually… But wow… Renting out this whole facility for the day?! Normally, there would be a lot of customers here… It’s incredible that Yuuma has it reserved just for us. He really operates on a different scale than most people…

Inside the facility, there’s a huge game space the likes of which I’ve only seen in movies and manga. They all appear to be coin games.

I’m wearing a suit like the others, but I still feel out of place… I’m glad I thought to bring my suit. Good that I got one made.

While I’m thinking about this, Yuuma speaks to me.

“Oh, Yuuya, I almost forgot.”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to play you first… Do you have any money?”

“Yes, well…”

“Good. It’s a coin game, so you need to exchange your money for coins first.”

Right, of course. But how many coins should I get?

“Um, would one million yen be enough?”

“…What?”

I take out a stack of bills from my item box, making it look as if I’m taking it out of my pocket.

“Th-that amount of money…”

“Sorry it’s all in cash.”

Honestly, it’s good to have a chance to use this money. After all, it’d be best to use it on Earth, to contribute to the economy here… I’ve gained a vast amount of money defeating monsters in the other world. It’s more money than I ever could have imagined having. Until now, I haven’t had many opportunities to spend it, so this will be a good thing.

Then I notice everyone’s staring at me.

“Uh… Ah… Is it not enough? In that case, I…”

Yuuma and the others are just staring at me, so I decide to add to the amount with another stack… Or two or three or four or five…

“H-hold on!”

“Yes?”

“The first million yen will be more than enough!”

Apparently, the initial amount was fine, so I put away the extra.

“What game shall we play?”

“Um… Then, how about that slot machine over there? If that’s all right.”

I don’t know much about it, but I imagine slot games are common in Japanese game centers as well, so I’m sure even I could do it.

While I’m rationalizing, Yuuma grins.

“Slots, huh? That’s good… Easy enough for me to rig…”

“What?”

“It’s easy to operate, I said. Just insert a coin and press the button. But first, you must exchange your money for coins.”

I exchange my one million yen for coins Yuuma’s got for me. I sit down as instructed, and, while Miu and Mr. Hideyuki watch, I insert a coin… Then…

“Um, where should I press?”

“Pffft… You really don’t know anything…”

Yuuma snorts. But, I mean, this my first time…

He shows me the right button, and once I press it, the machine starts to spin. I’m not sure how to play, so I just try to press the button when three of the slots are lined up, and then the whole thing stops.

The word JACKPOT pops up on the screen, with flashing lights and sound effects.

“Jack…pot?”

“Whaaat?!”

“No way?!”

“Huh…”

I don’t know how, but I think I won something?

“That’s… That’s not possible! I rigged it! How come…?!”

Yuuma seems upset about something, muttering under his breath, so I decide not to ask him what jackpot means.

However, a lot of coins come out of the machine, so I guess I won. When I play again, I get another jackpot.

Again, lots of coins spill out. I press the button over and over again, but every time, the result is a jackpot.

“Yuuya, you’re amazing!”

“Perhaps he’s one of those men blessed with great luck…”

Miu and her father, standing behind me, sound impressed.

“Um, is this machine broken? It seems to keep giving the same result…”

I’m winning a lot, which is nice, but it’s starting to get a bit odd now, and I worry something’s wrong with the machine.

“M-maybe it is…,” Yuuma mutters, looking twitchy.

I don’t know if the machine’s busted or what… Perhaps it’s just my luck stat paying off again.

“Darn it! What’s wrong with it? I thought I told you to set it accurately!”

“I… I did, sir!”

“Then why does he keep winning?!”

…Er, is this all right? When I see Yuuma arguing with a casino employee, I start getting really worried.

“…”

Miu’s watching Yuuma argue with the staff with a suspicious look on her face. What’s going on…?

Yuuma finishes whispering to his employee and then recommends the next game to me.

“Well then, how about roulette next?”

“Roulette…?”

“Yes! This is another traditional game. I have to say, I find it very irritating when people think they know all the ins and outs of this game after only playing it once. Here you can play games you’d never usually get the chance to, all using coins.”

“Er…” I feel like I’ve had enough fun already, but oh well. “I understand. Well, I’d like to try the game, so could you perhaps explain the rules to me as I go along?”

Yuuma goes over the rules of roulette, then makes a suggestion.

“I know! This is a rare opportunity. Let’s do something we wouldn’t usually do.”

“Er, what would that be…?”

“Right! You’re a man, aren’t you? Why don’t you bet all your coins on one number?”

“What?”

Putting everything on one number… That means I only need to play once, right? I’m stunned by the extreme riskiness of Yuuma’s proposal. Beside me, Miu finally pipes up.

“Yuuma, I think that’s going a bit far—”

“Could you please be quiet for a moment? I’m having a conversation with Yuuya right now.” Yuuma interrupts Miu without looking at her, still grinning at me. “What do you think, Yuuya? Anyone can play betting just a few coins at a time. That’s boring. Let’s see how brave you can be, hmm?”

I wonder if this roulette wheel really has the capability to show my bravery. Either way, it’s difficult to say no. I mean, I doubt Yuuma has any intention of letting me say no. Well, either way, I’m putting money into the economy, so I may as well go for it…

“…All right.”

“But Yuuya!”

Miu yelps in dismay as Yuuma’s grin widens.

“I see! I knew you’d say that! So what do you say? What number do you want to go for?”

“…Er, black. Number six.”

The reason I go for that number is that suddenly I think of Kuro. Kuro means black in Japanese. Invert it and you get roku…meaning six.

In other words, I don’t really think that hard about it. Like slots, it’s probably just a game of luck, so there’s no point overthinking it. I mean, that may or may not be true, but as an amateur, that’s how it seems to me.

“Right… Six on black…” Yuuma asks the dealer to start the roulette wheel, an inscrutable look on his face. “Hmph. Getting one number is already highly unlikely…and on top of that, I can ask the dealer to influence the spin… He’ll lose for sure… This is what you get for embarrassing me…”

Yuuma mutters and grins to himself as he watches the roulette wheel spin. However…

“Oh, I won.”

“WHAAAT?!!!”

To my surprise, the roulette wheel stopped on…black number six.

Wow… I never thought that those one hundred points I’d allocated to my luck stat would have such an impressive effect.

“Th-that’s impossible! How did you win?! It doesn’t make sense?!!!” Yuuma wails.

“Er, Yuuma?” I’m not sure what to say in response to his distress.

“What’s wrong, Yuuma, my boy?” Mr. Hideyuki asks, concerned.

“Huh?! N-next! There are still plenty of games to be played!”

Yuuma is frothing at the mouth, yelling at me. I know I agreed to try all the games, but…

“Er…”

“Amazing…”

“It can’t be. The odds alone… There must be some mistake…”

“…”

Amazingly, I win every single game.

In poker, my first hand is a royal straight flush. In blackjack, I always get blackjack, no matter how many times we try it. I just keep winning…and getting more coins.

“B-boss! What do we do…?”

“It’s… It’s fine! Next game!”

“Oh, I won again.”

“Wh-whaaat?!!!”

I keep playing, aware that Yuuma and his staff are whispering furiously behind me. I end up winning every single game.

“What’s going on? You people! Are you following my instructions exactly?!”

“Of course, boss!”

Yuuma starts kicking nearby objects, getting increasingly worked up.

I think I’ve won too much. Yuuma’s getting really angry and snarling. I feel sorry for the staff and super uncomfortable.

“Impossible! It can’t be! It can’t!”

Yuuma keeps muttering, his former composure completely gone… Yikes, I feel terrible…

Anyway, after all these wins, the number of coins I’ve got now is kind of ridiculous. There’s a huge pile of coins on the floor behind me.

“Yuuya, you’re amazing!”

“Hmm… The boy seems oddly talented. Perhaps I should reevaluate my opinion of him…”

Miu reacts with real joy every time I win. Her father seems surprised but also impressed by the fact I keep winning. I’m glad I’m putting on a good performance as Miu’s boyfriend.

Yuuma seems to snap then, and he starts really screaming.

“That’s—that’s it! You’re cheating! You dirty cheat!!!”

“Huh?!”

Y-yeah, you could call it cheating… No, using my luck stat is even worse than cheating…

But no one can see or check my luck stat. Even knowing about my luck stat, I can’t say for sure it’s directly influencing the games since it’s something unseen and intangible. As Yuuma glowers at me, Miu speaks up.

“You are the one who’s been cheating. I know you’ve been trying to rig the games!”

“Wh-what did you say…?!”

“Here! A recording of a conversation you had with your staff!”

“Ack!”

Apparently, Miu was busy with some subterfuge while I was occupied with playing.

It’s true, I’d noticed Yuuma saying stuff to his staff in the background, but I was so focused on the games, I didn’t catch what they were talking about.

According to Miu, she’s got a recording of him giving them instructions to rig the games… Mr. Hideyuki, watching the argument unfold, suddenly speaks to Yuuma with a look of confusion on his face.

“Yu-Yuuma? Is what she just said true? There’s no way you would do something like that, is there…?”

“…Agh!” Yuuma shouts.

“Huh? Bwagh!”

“Dad!!!”

Suddenly, Yuuma…punches Mr. Hideyuki straight in the jaw!!!

“Wh-what the heck are you doing?!”

As I scramble to help up Mr. Hideyuki, we’re suddenly surrounded by a group of heavies in black suits.

“What the…?”

“Yu-Yuuya…”

Miu looks frightened, so I quickly move to shield her from the men. Meanwhile, Yuuma lets out a huge sigh.

“Gaaah. Everything… Everything has been ruined…huh?”

“Uh, Yuuma?”

“Don’t call me by my first name, you impudent brat!”

Yuuma gives me a look that could strip paint.

None of us can hide our shock at his sudden change in behavior… Miu and Mr. Hideyuki look as shocked as I feel.

Ignoring our stares, Yuuma continues, “I was so close to a peaceful takeover of the Midou Group…”

Mr. Hideyuki, the one who’d been pushing for the marriage, reacts to this with extreme astonishment.

“Wh-what?! Yuuma… What on Earth…?”

“You still don’t get it? From the very start, all I was thinking about was marrying your daughter, taking over the Midou Group, and using it for my own purposes!”

“What…?” Mr. Hideyuki trails off, speechless. “Th-that can’t…”

“Oh, come on, now! It’s a bit late to still be acting dumb! You really are a terrible father with abysmal judgment, aren’t you? You can’t get to my level of wealth with fair business practices alone! See? Here’s some proof!”

Yuuma waves a hand, and the heavies pull guns out from their jackets! S-seriously?!

“As you can see, I’m a member of the underworld. I make my money from a lot of things besides these rip-off entertainment facilities.” Yuuma smiles nastily. “And my plan was to expand into Japan from overseas, but…Japan these days, it’s not so easy for those of us involved in underground business to operate there. Therefore, I decided to link up with the well-established Midou Group and use its influence in Japan as a cover to operate freely. But that little jerk has destroyed all my plans!”

“No way…”

Mr. Hideyuki, who was pushing the marriage out of concern for Miu’s future stability, seems never to have imagined that the person he was recommending to her was a criminal… He looks stunned and devastated.

With these guns pointed at her, Miu trembles in fear.

“Y-Yuuya…!”

“Miu. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, I promise.”

“Huh?”

Miu blinks.

I turn to her and smile, trying to reassure her.

“After all, Miu…I’m your boyfriend, right?”

“Huh?!”

Miu blushes bright red at this. Good, I’ve taken her mind off the fear for a moment. Apparently displeased with our reaction, Yuuma barks an order.

“Dammit! Enough already, get rid of them, starting with the brat!”

“Yuuya!”

The moment Yuuma gives his order, one of the men in black fires his gun at me! I’m trying to act tough in front of Miu, but I’ve never dealt with a gun before… This is the first time I’ve even seen one.

I’ve fought plenty of monsters in the other world, but I don’t know if my strength would even work against a gun. How should I even counter against a gun? That’s what I’m thinking, but…

“Wh-what?”

The moment the bullet is fired from the gun, everything surrounding me seems to start moving at half-speed.

And the bullet flying toward me looks like it’s moving in slow motion.

I grab Miu in one arm and dodge the bullet. Then time resumes its normal pace, and the bullet goes whizzing through the space where Miu and I were standing a moment before, punching a hole in the wall behind us.

“What?! You dodged a bullet?!”

Yuuma is shocked…apparently never having imagined the bullet could miss. If you think about it, once a bullet is fired from a gun, its trajectory is easily predictable unless there’s some external interference.

Quite easy to deal with, since it won’t suddenly change direction like Yuti’s arrows, nor will it branch out into countless branches like the spears of the Deity of Spears.

Also, I only realize this now, after being shot at, but…that bullet really did travel slowly. I had no idea the power I acquired in the other world could work so well here on Earth.

Still, on this occasion, I’m certainly grateful for it. I’d rather not have to experience being shot. A bullet traveling that slowly doesn’t even seem like it would hurt me much if it did hit me. Although I’d rather not try it out. Bit scary.

…It’s taken me this long to realize, but my battles with the monsters in the Weald, my training with Iris and Master Rabbit—all of that took place at speeds exceeding the speed of sound. I didn’t notice it myself at the time, since I was doing my best just to keep up with the training and fighting. Even if it’d been pointed out to me, I think I’d have just shrugged. I still can’t keep up with Iris or Master Rabbit without using Infuse Magic or Demon powers. I’ll have to apply myself and work harder…

But more importantly…I slowly lower Miu, who is frozen in my arms, to the ground. Then I look up at the heavies in the black suits.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to neutralize you fellows.”

“Huh?! Men! Keep shooting!”

Then the men in black all start shooting at us at once. But I just grab the bullets that are about to hit us out of the air with my bare hands. Then I scatter the handful of bullets at my feet.

Seeing this, Yuuma’s jaw drops so wide, I’m afraid it’s going to dislocate.

The heavies in black suits all freeze up in utter shock, too.

Yeah, I really am superhuman. But I can’t keep up with Master Rabbit and Iris. There’s room for me to grow.

“Well, then… Shall we?”

“Huh?!”

Using a move Master Rabbit taught me, I slip my arm around one of the heavies and then add in a technique I learned from fighting the Deity of Fists.

“Sky Breaker!!!”

This technique is a secret technique that delivers a strong impact from extremely close range. The heavies in black suits have no chance of withstanding it.

Carefully conserving my strength, I unleash my attack, aiming to hit through the target. This concept of hitting through the target is something I’ve been working on using my Deity of Spears techniques during my training with Master Rabbit and Iris.

As the name suggests, the techniques use spears, so all of them are focused on piercing attacks. This battle is a good opportunity for me to use those skills.

“Glurk!”

The man in black takes the full brunt of my attack, losing consciousness and collapsing.

“Okay, that worked…!”

Without missing a beat, I knock out the next man in black, then the next. In the end, only Yuuma is left. He looks at me slowly approaching him and shakes his head hard.

“Dodging bullets, grabbing them out of thin air… I don’t understand any of it… What the heck is wrong with you, you…you freak?!”

“You are not worthy of Miu.”

I use my Sky Breaker on Yuuma, who crumples to the ground, unconscious.

Yuuma ends up being arrested by the local police.

Incidentally, one of the cops was saying the amount of coins I’d won was the equivalent of 500 million yen… Darn, those luck stats of mine were working like crazy. Then at the airport on our way back home, I decide to join Miu and Mr. Hideyuki, who seem to be having a discussion.

“Miu…”

“…”

Miu doesn’t respond to her father. The dynamic between the two seems to me to have changed completely from when I first saw them together. He looks confused and guilty.

“I—I…”

“Up until now, Father, you have denied my every wish.”

“Ugh…”

“I’d like to hear from you, Father, as to what we should do from now on.”

Because of everything that’s happened, Miu’s words seem to be resonating strongly with Mr. Hideyuki. This is a family matter, so it wouldn’t be right for me to comment. I’m a total outsider, without a right to an opinion. Mr. Hideyuki tries to say something in response to Miu, but he gives up and lets his head droop.

“…I’m sorry. I thought I knew everything, but…I didn’t know anything.”

“…”

“If you’d married him, your future…and the Midou Group’s future…would have been secure, or so I thought. But I was wrong. I was unable to see through the facade to his true nature, and I didn’t once consider your feelings. I’m so sorry…for everything.”

“…”

Mr. Hideyuki bows his head deeply.

Miu clears her throat.

“…I understand you wanted what’s best for me, Dad… Even if you were thinking of the Midou Group, I know you wouldn’t have done anything that wasn’t in my best interests as well.”

“…”

“But I like my job. I really like it! I get to decide what it is that makes me happy, not you! That’s what I want you to understand…”

“…I see.”

Mr. Hideyuki nods a little and then turns to me.

“Yuuya.”

“Y-yes, sir?”

“…I said some really terrible things to you. I apologize.”

“N-no, it’s okay…”

Having Mr. Hideyuki bow to me makes me panic. I was just doing what I had to as Miu’s fake boyfriend.

“Please… Be good to my daughter.”

“I… What?”

“D-Dad?!”

I’m stunned into silence. Miu looks flustered as well, blushing bright red.

“What are you getting all bashful about? You and Yuuya are dating, right? Well, it’s fine with me, whenever you two want to get married. You have my blessing.”

“Th-that’s not the issue… I mean, the thing is…”

As Miu struggles for words, Mr. Hideyuki chuckles.

Slowly, Miu realizes that he is teasing her… For the first time, I see her smile at her father.

Oh, good. There may be some lingering awkwardness between them, but I hope they can get along much better.

Anyway, I guess my mission is complete. I hope I was able to play my role of Miu’s boyfriend well, without embarrassing her.

Then Mr. Hideyuki turns to me again and winks.

“Whenever you decide to get married, just let me know. I’ll be happy to help with all the arrangements.”

“Daaad!”

…S-so, this means I did a good job as the boyfriend, right…? Finally, finally…I’m able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Who could have thought…it would be there, on such a far-flung planet…?”

While Yuuya was getting into trouble overseas, the Earth was being observed from a far-off planet in deep space.

A girl was gazing at a hologram of the Earth. Though she appeared humanoid, her skin and hair glittered with phosphorescent light. The girl muttered to herself.

“Once more… We must bring those blueprints to our planet and…”

…And Yuuya had no idea about the desire harbored by this alien girl on a certain planet in a faraway universe…

Chapter 5: The Invincible Trio

“Hah!”

“Too slow!”

Now that I’m done masquerading as Miu’s boyfriend, I’m free to once again resume my normal lifestyle of training daily with Master Rabbit.

Of course, Iris is here, too, and as usual, the two Deities are putting me through my paces. Mainly, I’m pleased to see they’ve both healed well from the attack they suffered at the hands of Avis… There don’t seem to be any side effects, and both seem back to their normal fighting vigor. Though really, the training is so tough I don’t have time to think about stuff like that.

Anyway, since I’ve recently learned to use my Demon powers with some sense of stability, I’m making use of Kuro’s power as I train against Master Rabbit.

“Yuuya, you’re amazing… You’re absorbing our techniques one after another…”

“Affirmative. Yuuya is amazing. I could never beat him.”

“Oh? But you’ve inherited all the techniques from the Deity of Arrows, haven’t you? In that case, you could still give me a run for my money, right?”

“No. Yuuya, you would absorb my techniques in a flash. Then kill me. Then you would get another Deity technique. I cannot win against you.”

“Right…”

Iris and Yuti are observing as Master Rabbit and I fight, and Night and Akatsuki are both training, too.

Night is training to be able to attack quickly while using Infuse Magic, while Akatsuki is training to be able to use his skill across a wider range. Ouma is snoozing indoors as usual, but today there’s a new member observing the training.

“Cheep! Cheep!”

Ciel, our recent addition to the family, is watching Master Rabbit and me train with sparkling eyes.

Ciel is bobbing its little body about and cheering me on, in a Go for it! kind of way. With a cheering section like that, I’d better give it my all.

“Hyaah!!!”

“Hmm?!”

With my Demon power, I use Infuse Magic on my arms and legs only. Then, making full use of the forward leap I learned directly from Master Rabbit, I throw my Absolute Spear with all my might.

My throw is so powerful, the spear flies faster than the wind as it zooms toward Master Rabbit. Even the great Master Rabbit doesn’t have time to dodge this attack, and he’s forced to deflect it away with both his feet and ears.

“Hmph! Finally, you force me to use my ears… You really have grown!”

“Three Gods’ Step…!”

My attack didn’t end with just throwing the Absolute Spear. The spring forward I performed when I threw the Absolute Spear is a technique Master Rabbit used once against the Deity of Scythes, when Cuaro attacked. With it, I moved in close to Master Rabbit’s chest at the exact moment I flung my Absolute Spear.

This fighting style is only possible thanks to my Demon Sight.

Now that I’ve closed in on Master Rabbit, I know exactly what my next move will be. Without letting down my guard around Master Rabbit for a second, I use Iris’s Sword Flash to block while I pull out my Omnisword from my Item Box, and then I swing it with all I’ve got. Then…

“Haah… Haah…”

“…”

I have the tip of the sword right up against Master Rabbit’s neck.

“I win… Right?”

“All right, all right, you win.”

“No way… The rabbit lost?!”

“Shock. Unbelievable…?”

I finally managed to get one over on Master Rabbit!

“Yeaaah!!!” I let out a bellow of triumph and fling myself down on the spot.

Finally… I finally got one over on Master Rabbit! Of course, the same trick won’t work the next time, so another victory seems unlikely. But still… This win is proof of how far I’ve come!

Master Rabbit raises a furry brow at me.

“Honestly… You won the bout, but it’s hard to tell from the aftermath who the victor is.”

He has a point, since I’m collapsed on the ground, while he looks perfectly sprightly still. Master Rabbit really is overwhelmingly strong…

“Never mind. You won today, so training is done. But starting tomorrow, it’ll be even harder, you know.”

“Y… Yes!”

I gasp out a response, still on the ground, and Ciel comes flapping over to me.

“Cheep! Cheep?!”

“Oh? Ciel! Thanks! This is all because of your support, you know?”

“Cheep cheep.”

Ciel happily rubs its little bird head all over my chest. So cute!

“…As always, strange creatures gather in your house.”

“D-do they…?”

“They certainly do.”

“Yeah. Yuuya’s house is pretty weird. I mean, even the location of it is bizarre…”

“Ah, ah-ha-ha-ha…”

It wasn’t me who built the house, it was the Sage.

While we’re discussing this, I suddenly remember the title I got the other day when Avis attacked.

“Oh, that reminds me, the other day when Avis attacked, I defeated a bunch of the evil beasts in a row…and I ended up getting this Holy Lord title…”

“What?!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding?!”

Both Master Rabbit and Iris gaze at me with wide eyes. I… I guess it’s weird for me to have a title like that? When I’m not even a Deity or anything…?

“To obtain the title of Holy Lord, one needs to have the soul of a Deity dwelling within one’s body, even if one is not a Deity himself. Why would you be granted such a title…?”

“Huh…? Well, um, come to think of it… Oh, I know! The other day, when Iris was giving me a massage, the Holy Soul skill…”

“Hmm? A massage?”

“Y-Yuuya! I think there must be some other way you got the soul of a Deity?! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha…!”

“…”

“Wh-what is it? If you’ve got something to say, then say it plainly!”

“No… Never mind.”

Master Rabbit, backing down…?!

I’m stunned… And then I realize that Iris is gazing at me, her eyes speaking silent pleas. Should I not have mentioned that…? But I really do think it has something to do with the Holy Soul skill I acquired back then…

I’m just thinking about that, ruminating on how far I’ve come, when…

“Here I am, come to fulfill my promise, you know?”

…the voice of the God of Destruction interrupts my train of thought.

Suddenly, the sky darkens to a deep red.

“Huh?!”

“Woof?!”

“Oink?!”

Night and Akatsuki stop their training, too, noticing the change in the sky. Nervous, they come over to me.

Wh-what’s going on…?

I’m standing there shocked by this sudden turn of events, and Master Rabbit and Iris yell out in panic.

“Why is he here?!”

“Who knows?! But he’s coming!”

“What?”

I’m scrambling to keep up with what’s happening…as what looks like a dark wave of power comes zooming toward our house.

“Huh?!”

“Holy Sword Boundary!”

“Holy Wave! Holy Ear Shock!!!”

The two Deities unleash their highest Deity techniques without a moment’s hesitation… The same ones they used when Cuaro attacked.

These techniques are like their secret skills… A secret move of sorts, if you will. In other words, them using those techniques right off must mean…

Their techniques zoom beyond the barrier around the Sage’s house and collide with the dark wave…but they only serve to deflect its trajectory a little bit.

The black wave, knocked off course, crashes down behind my house. Then…there’s this incredible roaring sound.

“Huh…?!”

I look to where the black wave hit…and I’m struck dumb with shock.

The reason being…that the forest in the Weald behind my house…has now vanished. Not a single blade of grass remains. The whole area has been completely leveled.

In the cleared area, there ought to have been a cluster of extremely tough trees known as Black Ironwoods, the same ones I use in my training with Master Rabbit. But right now, I can’t see a single tree.

There’s nothing but a sprawling land of death.

With no clue what’s happened, I stare in a daze, while Iris and Master Rabbit fall to their knees.

“Darn it!”

“This is really bad…!”

“Iris? Master Rabbit?”

I hurry over to them, and Yuti, who’s nearby, cries out.

“Discovered. Yuuya… He’s coming.”

“He?!”

…Tsk, don’t tremble.

It’s not just Yuti giving me a heads-up. Kuro’s woken up inside me and started warning me, too.

“…Ah? So you weathered that last attack, did you? You’re stronger than I thought, Deity of Swords, Deity of Kicks.”

A young man stands calmly in the air above our house. Yes… It’s Avis, who’s absorbed all the other Demons and evolved into the ultimate evil, a perfect Demon.

The fact Avis is here… It must mean that his dark power has finally permeated into his body…

“Still, I doubt you’ll be so lucky a second time. In which case, hadn’t we better get this over with? Now die.”

Avis, casting his eye over Master Rabbit and Iris, then shoots out the same black wave as before, right toward them!

I dash over to Master Rabbit and Iris, who are incapacitated from that previous attack. Meanwhile, Yuti fires arrows, Night uses magic, and Akatsuki uses his Holy Ground to try to intercept the black wave, but…all the attacks are simply swallowed up by it.

“No good… We can’t make it!”

Iris and Master Rabbit drag themselves to their feet, trying to unleash their techniques again, but before they can do so, the black wave engulfs the Sage’s house.

However…

“…Hmm?”

…amazingly…the barrier placed around the Sage’s house easily blocks even Avis’s terrible black tsunami!

Avis reacts with as much shock as the rest of us. Wise Sage… You really were incredible, weren’t you?

“What? That attack… The one all of us working together couldn’t manage to block… The barrier just knocked it aside?!”

Iris blinks at the sky in astonishment. Yeah, it’s pretty unbelievable.

But Avis isn’t going to give up.

“I see… Well done, Foreign Element. But so what? You blocked me once. I’ll just keep going until I break through.”

As he speaks, a huge mass of what seems to be condensed dark power starts to accumulate, then suddenly shoots toward the Sage’s house!

The speed and the strength of it… Impossible to intercept in time. But…

“What the heck?!”

…the barrier around the Sage’s house deflects it with ease!

None of us were expecting that. Even Avis lets out a cry of surprise.

Wh-what’s happening? I have no idea, but one thing I do know… The Sage was incredible! Thanks to the Sage’s amazing house, I’m finally feeling a little less panicked…but what Avis says next totally ruins that.

“…Hmm. Don’t know how you’re managing to deflect my attacks, but…fine. You just stay right where you are.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll just switch up the order of my plans a little. Instead of wiping you out first, I’ll begin by obliterating the kingdoms of Regal and Arselia.”

“What?!”

“If you want to stay there, then knock yourselves out. Feast your eyes on the sight of the countries you stupid humans hold so dear being wiped off the map. It’s no big deal for me to destroy it all from right here.”

“N-no…!”

“You really think we’re just going to stand by and watch you do that?!”

Avis gives me a look of filthy contempt, then points his palm in the direction of the kingdoms of Regal and Arselia. He’s going to unleash that dark wave of his on both countries!

“Now, behold! The true power of the Demon!”

“…STOP!”

“Huh?!”

As I use my Holy Lord’s Power and fling my Absolute Spear with all my might, Avis stops winding up for his attack and blocks mine instead.

“You… That power… The Holy Lord?!”

Avis’s eyes go wide in shock. Then his lips spread in a smile.

“Heh-heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha! Right, all I have to do is kill you, Holy Lord of all Deities, and then there won’t be anyone left to stop me! It’ll be a free buffet! Come at me, then!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!”

Avis might be an unbeatable opponent, but with Master Rabbit and Iris knocked out from the impact of his previous attack, there’s no one else who can oppose him…

I grab the Absolute Spear, which has zoomed back to my hand, then cast Infuse Magic and summon my Demon power…and then I approach Avis.

“Hyaaah!”

“Gah-ha-ha! Come on then! Come at me!”

Faced with me at my full might…Avis shows zero sign of wanting to flee… Instead, he just laughs. Then…my full-strength attack is…blocked by just one of Avis’s hands.

“Hmm? Weird magic. It’s the same as ours… Interesting!”

“Raaah!!!”

“Huh?!”

He blocked my attack easily…but I was expecting that. I immediately summon my Omnisword to my free hand and slash at him.

“Sword Flash!”

“You…”

Avis’s eyes widen a little, but he manages to block my slash with his free hand, which is enveloped in pitch-black mist!

“Using the Deity of Swords attacks as well, you jerk…!”

“Heavenly Flight!”

“…?!”

Without saying a word in response to Avis, I continue to perform one technique after another. Right after Avis blocks my Absolute Spear attack with one hand and my Omnisword swing with the other, both his hands are occupied.

Therefore, I use my Master Rabbit technique on his unguarded torso. But just at that moment, a black mist envelops Avis’s body, which blocks my kick. What’s more, blocking my kick knocks him back, giving him some space between us to work with.

“Heh-heh-heh…ha-ha-ha! First the Deity of Swords techniques, then the Deity of Kicks? You’re pretty talented, aren’t you?”

Despite my chain of attacks, Avis remains composed… He’s even grinning horribly. He spreads his arms and regards me with a cool glare.

“…My turn now?”

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, the space behind Avis cracks, and a cloud of pitch-black mist begins to seep out of thin air, like spreading stains. The black mist swirls from all directions, forming a jungle of black spears.

“Die.”

“Aaah!”

With one word from Avis, a barrage of pitch-black spears comes whizzing toward me.

Panicked, I use my Absolute Spear to knock away the spears that are closing in on me from all directions. But the spears are coming faster than my Absolute Spear can block… I’m about to be overwhelmed…

But…!

“Gaaah!!!”

“Oh?!”

I use my Holy Lord’s Power with all my might, annihilating the pitch-black spears with waves of holy light.

But using the Holy Lord’s Power has now left me utterly depleted…

“Ha-ha-ha! And yet, you still live?! You’re kinda stubborn, aren’t you?”

Avis laughs at me, greatly amused.

…If I just keep on defending, I’ll die for sure. But I don’t have any techniques left to try on him…!

What should I do?!

I’m trying to think, when I feel a painful nip on my ear.

“Ow, that hurt…! Ciel?! What are you doing on my shoulder? It’s dangerous here! Get away!”

“Cheep! Cheeep!!!”

“Huh?!”

I’m trying to shake Ciel off my shoulder, but…I think Ciel just said it would defeat Avis for me…?!!!

“No, no, no! Ciel, you’ve only just hatched! That’s craziness!”

“Cheep!”

I keep trying to shake the bird off, but Ciel clings on, chirping loudly, like it’s saying I can do it! …Where does this tiny chick get that kind of confidence from?!

“CHEEP!”

Ignoring my panic, Ciel chirps loudly to Night and Akatsuki as if to say You’re with me, right? Night and Akatsuki, hearing the chirps, call out to me, too.

“WOOF!”

“OINK!”

“You guys, too?!”

Apparently, both are still salty about having been so powerless against Avis during the battle back in Regal, and they want another go at him.

I get it, but even Master Rabbit and Iris were no match for Avis’s prodigious strength! As the three of them begin to prepare to battle, Ouma comes clomping out of the house.

“Interesting. Why not let them try it?”

“Ouma?!”

“I, too, am curious to see one of the Luan species fight.”

“F-for mere curiosity…?!”

“Well, not just that. Ciel’s stats and skills are yet unknown. Yet Ciel wishes to fight. If so, it must mean the bird is somewhat confident of success, no?”

“Cheep!”

“Ciel…”

Hearing Ouma say this, Ciel puffs out its chest as if to say Darn straight!

Avis, who’s been watching this scene unfold, speaks then in tones of mockery.

“Ha! What can a little bird like that do?”

“…Cheep?”

In that moment, Ciel turns to Avis…and, in complete contrast to the chick’s usual cute and adorable manner, chirps in a low tone.

The chick’s expression is fearsome…like it’s saying You wanna piece of me?

“Um… Er… Ciel…?”

Taken aback by the change in the chick’s demeanor, I tentatively call out to it…whereupon Ciel answers in its usual chirpy chick voice.

“Cheep! ♪”

It’s like Ciel’s trying to reassure me… Leave this to me…! Then it turns to face Avis again and dashes off toward him…

“CHEEEP!”

“Ciel?!”

Ciel rushes Avis, a look in its beady bird eyes that says I’m gonna kill you, you jerk! …Wow! The contrast! The contrast is amazing!

Night and Akatsuki, seeing this, exchange glances. Then they, too, run toward Avis.

“WOOF!”

“OINK!”

“Night?! Akatsuki?!”

I try to stop them, but I’m still out of strength from using my Holy Lord’s Power, and I don’t have enough strength to even stand up.

Just then, Ouma strolls casually over to me.

“It’s all right, just watch. I don’t know about Ciel, but I think that Night is about on par with me for fighting power. And Akatsuki is one of the few beings that can go up against Demons. I think it should be fine.”

“M-maybe, but you saw how strong he was back in Regal, right?”

“He’s nothing worthy of troubling me. Like I said, you’re worrying too much.”

“Ouma, you may think so, but…!”

No good. Ouma won’t listen! I clutch my head in my hands as Ciel finally reaches Avis.

“Cheep!”

“Hmph. What an annoying, perky little fly… Die!”

“Cielll!”

Just then, a wave of dark energy washes over Ciel, Night, and Akatsuki! Night and Akatsuki somehow manage to avoid the attack, but Ciel takes the hit head-on. Taking the full force of the impact, Ciel is blown backward and crashes to the ground.

“Ciel! Ouma, help!”

“…No. Not yet.”

“What?!”

Ouma is watching with a look of excitement. Confused, I turn back to see…

“What…? What’s going on…?!”

As Ciel’s tiny form rolls along the ground, it suddenly bursts into blue flames… Then the next moment, the chick appears to be completely revived…and unharmed.

Even Avis’s eyes widen at the sight.

“Cheep!”

“…Don’t know what kind of skill that was, but no matter. If one hit doesn’t kill you, I’ll just have to keep attacking you until you do die.”

Once again, countless attacks rain down on Ciel, Night, and Akatsuki, and this time, they all take damage.

“Woof!”

“Oink!”

“Night! Akatsuki!”

Avis…! As I dash to save them both, I see movement in the corner of my eye.

“Cheep!”

Ciel unleashes a shrill chirp in the direction of Night and Akatsuki, and…

“Huh?!”

“Woof!”

“Oink!”

…suddenly, their bodies become engulfed in blue flames, and then…they begin moving again, completely unharmed…

“Wh-what the heck was that?!”

I can’t stop myself from yelping in shock, and even Master Rabbit and Iris, who are watching, are rendered speechless. Ouma alone is chortling with amusement.

“Well, there’s only one possible explanation, isn’t there? This must be Ciel’s special skill.”

“C-Ciel’s special skill…?”

“Based on visuals, it appears to be a Blue Flame skill… But the effects are more like a Revive skill. But that’s not the main takeaway here.”

“What?”

“Did you notice? Ciel is stronger now, resurrected, than before being blasted away.”

“Say what?”

“The same for Night and Akatsuki. They’re stronger now, after recovering from those injuries, than they were before the injuries were even inflicted.”

“Th-that can’t be right…?”

I watch Ciel and the others, amazed, as they continue to fight Avis. Each time Ciel, Night, and Akatsuki attack, they get blown away by Avis’s powers.

But each time, that mysterious blue flame flares, and they recover and get up to fight again. Ciel dies and rises again like a phoenix, the flames growing stronger with each resurrection, until the little bird is now emitting so much heat and radiance that it’s like a little sun.

“Wh-what’s happening? Why don’t they die? And what’s with this weird heat?!”

Ouma’s right. For some reason, each time Ciel and the others get defeated, they rise again, stronger than ever.

Eventually, Avis’s attacks stop having the ability to inflict so much as a scratch upon them.

“Cheep!”

“Guh!”

Ciel’s little, sun-hot wings smack Avis on the cheek, and they send him spinning with unbelievable force. Tumbling away, Avis’s eyes fix on Akatsuki, who’s grown gigantic.

“Oiiink!”

“Gah?!”

Akatsuki smacks the flying Avis out of the air with astonishing force.

“Grrr!”

“Gaaah!”

As Avis slams against the ground, Night, who’s been waiting, moves in and grabs him in his jaws, then shakes his head violently and finally tosses him high into the air. Avis’s body, already battered to bits, is useless to him in thin air. The only thing he can do is scream.

“Ridiculous! This is ridiculous! I… I absorbed all the Demon power in the world and became the God of Destruction! To lose to a stupid little bird like this…?!”

“Cheep.”

“Gaaah!”

Ciel chirps, like he’s saying Oh, pipe down. Then the bird zooms to just above Avis’s head and smacks him down toward the ground with little bird feet that are glowing as brightly as the sun.

“It… It can’t be… It can’t possibly be…”

“…Woof.”

“Oink.”

“Eeek?!”

Grinning, Night and Akatsuki advance on Avis where he’s lying crashed on the ground. Spotting them, Avis screams and tries to crawl along the ground to escape, but just then, Ciel lands in front of him.

“Cheep? Cheep?”

Ciel looms menacingly over Avis, like a movie bad guy saying Where do you think you’re goin’, punk…?

“S-stop… Leave me alone…!”

“Grrr!”

“Oink!”

“Cheeep!!!”

“Gaaahhh!!!”

Avis is, quite literally, beaten to a pulp. He unleashes one last ear-piercing shriek and then goes still, right before Akatsuki’s Holy Ground skill causes him to undergo complete annihilation.

I stare at his remains in a daze, and then a message appears.

“Master of Divine Beaststitle acquired.”

And that’s just the cherry on top of it all.

“Seriously?”

Master Rabbit mutters in disbelief in the aftermath of Avis’s defeat at the talons, paws, and hooves of Ciel, Night, and Akatsuki.

“Really, seriously?! That guy was a Demon! The sworn enemy of us Deities! The enemy of all humankind! And not just a regular Demon, either! He’d absorbed the powers of all the other Demons and reached his final form! And he’s been destroyed by non-Deities, just like that? Is anyone else realizing how insane that is?!”

“Cheep! ♪”

“Woof…”

“Snort…”

Ciel squirms in my hands, like it’s saying Aw shucks in response to Master Rabbit. Night and Akatsuki, however, look somewhat regretful.

“Th-this is how it ends? He was… He was the Ultimate Evil, you know?!”

“Now no more Demons will be born…for at least tens of thousands of years, anyway.”

“Gaaah!!!”

When Ouma makes that pronouncement…Master Rabbit spirals into quite a state of distress. Aw, sorry about that…

“What are you complaining about? Are not the Demons your enemy? Shouldn’t you be happy that they are no more?”

“I understand the significance! But now we Deities have lost our reason for being!”

“Who cares? It’s your people’s fault for being weak.”

“Guh…!!!”

No, Ouma… Master Rabbit isn’t weak. You’re the one who’s bizarrely overpowered… While I’m standing there trying to process my emotions, I realize Iris has fallen silent.

“Concern. You all right?” Yuti asks her.

“…Yeah, I’m okay. I was just wondering what the point of all the hard work I’d put in up until now was…”

She’s not okay at all! Iris, like Master Rabbit, was also working hard to protect the humans from the Demons.

It ended so suddenly, it must be hard to accept. I mean, I can hardly process it, either! But the hero of the hour, Ciel, keeps nuzzling my cheek, like it’s asking Did I do good? Tell me I did good! All right, all right… How adorable!

I’m gazing at Ciel with a silly smile on my face when Ouma continues, rolling his eyes.

“Seriously… The current generation of Deities is pathetic. They should follow the example of the Sage. He destroyed all the Demons all by himself, you know?”

Wait. I can’t keep up with these tales of the Sage’s amazing deeds. He was just too cool! Iris’s eyes go wide when Ouma mentions the Sage.

“The Sage… You mean the Sage?”

“Hmph. To me, there is only one Sage. In fact, I have no interest in using that term to refer to anyone else. All others are inferior. Anyway, when he was alive, he was the one who gathered the Deities.”

“Each one? By himself?”

Wow, there’s nothing the Sage couldn’t do.

Master Rabbit and Iris seem speechless. But as for me, knowing this house belonged to the Sage and that all of my weapons originally belonged to him…I guess I can’t be too surprised.

Ouma’s still gushing about the Sage, when he suddenly trails off, like he’s just realized something.

“…Huh? Hold on… As I recall, he achieved all the Holy titles… No doubt he also received the title of Holy Lord, like Yuuya. Then… Then the Luan I once glimpsed… Was that his?”

Ouma yelps excitedly and looks intensely at Ciel.

“Cheep?”

But Ciel just tilts its head, clearly not following.

Just like Ouma says, the Sage held all the Holy titles, so naturally he must have held the title of Holy Lord, which I now have, too.

Right… I don’t know the details, but perhaps the Sage was also guided by his own little Luan.

“…Well, whatever. In any case, it undoubtedly takes tens of thousands of years for beings like the recent crop of Demons to be born again. But even so, evil is born into the world every day, and as a result, evil beasts will always appear. Your roles as Deities ought not to be over yet. Or am I wrong?”

“Well…,” Iris mumbles.

“…The Genesis Dragon is right. In any case, we should be grateful the Demons are gone. From here forth, it’s our duty as Deities to mitigate the damage caused by any and all evil beasts.”

“…That’s right. Our strength is still needed.”

Iris and the Master Rabbit finally seem to have regained their former pep.

“Let me thank you three once again. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to destroy the Demons. Our gratitude to you.”

“I would also like to express my gratitude. For now, I shall cooperate with the remaining Deities to exterminate the evil beasts.”

“In that case, we should inform the surviving Deities and their successors of what has happened.”

“I doubt they’ll believe us that easily.”

“Well, yeah…but you’re not usually one for jokes, so it’ll probably be okay, right?”

“Hopefully… So then, Yuuya. We’ll be leaving for now. Now that the Demons have disappeared, there may be no reason to seek more power…but still, you should continue your training until the next time we meet. Got that?”

“I… I’ll keep up my training, too, you know? What a shame, when I finally found someone worthy of marrying… Sob…”

I nod to Master Rabbit, and to Iris, who’s crying for some reason.

“Of course. Now that the Demons have gone, I’ll have a go at mastering my Holy Lord’s Power as well.”

“Hmm… We should inform the people of Regal and Arselia.”

“Right.”

“Farewell for now, then.”

“And goodbye, Yuuya! Once I’ve finished tying up the loose ends, I’ll come and see you again, okay?”

With that, Master Rabbit and Iris set off on their journey in high spirits.

Epilogue

Epilogue

Going back in time a little, to just after Yuuya defeated that horde of Demon Beasts and met Ciel. Lexia and the others who’d remained behind in Regal were in conference with King Orgis.

“…He saved us again…”

“Right? Isn’t he splendid…? My husband!”

“Since when was Yuuya your husband, Lexia…?”

Hearing praise being heaped on Yuuya made Lexia puff her chest out with pride. And Luna couldn’t help dryly commenting on the situation…

But King Orgis seemed to pay no mind to Lexia’s swooning. He had a conflicted expression on his face.

“But who is he? What I’ve heard is that he’s a disciple of the Deity of Kicks. But I also heard from the Deity of Swords that he’s not a true successor. What’s more, it appears that the Deity of Swords has taken on Yuuya as her disciple… And now he’s the master of a Genesis Dragon? I just can’t keep up…”

“Well, duh, of course he’s that great! He’s my hubby!”

“That’s not a suitable explanation at all! And how many times do I—?! He’s not your husband!”

“What, Luna? Don’t be salty just because I claimed him first?!”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake!”

Luna rubbed her temples, frustrated by Lexia’s endless ringing endorsements of Yuuya. King Orgis wasn’t expecting anyone to have a real answer, though, so he didn’t seem to mind.

Then a soldier came and whispered something to King Orgis.

“Oh, I see. Then show her in.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

After receiving the order, the soldier left, and King Orgis turned his attention to Lexia and the others.

“Yuuya has returned home, but since you’re here, I’d like you to meet with the Holy Maiden we’ve summoned, Lexia.”

Lexia nodded, all business, at odds with her silliness from just before.

“Right, I understand. I’d like to do whatever I can for her.”

“Apologies, again…”

Lexia clearly still felt some type of way about how King Orgis had summoned the Holy Maiden from another world without the person’s permission.

But after seeing how helpless the Deities were following Avis’s recent attack, she was beginning to come around to Orgis’s way of thinking.

Summoning a Holy Maiden from another world, in a way that could be called abduction, was still an unforgivable offense. Lexia wanted to do whatever she could to help this summoned holy one.

Soon, Mai Kagurazaka appeared in the throne room, looking timid.

“Uh… I heard you wanted to see me, so here I am…”

“Ah! Holy Maiden! I’m very sorry to bother you… No doubt you’re tired after the battle…but there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

“Okay…”

King Orgis turned to introduce Lexia.

“This is Princess Lexia, the firstborn princess of the Kingdom of Arselia, which enjoys friendly relations with our country of Regal.”

“I’m Lexia von Arselia. First off, I’d like to say sorry for… I mean, we’re extremely sorry for asking you to take on the dangerous task of defeating the Demons when you have no connections to this world at all…”

Lexia bowed her head low to Mai.

Mai became flustered.

“No, please, don’t bow! It’s true, I was upset at first…and to be honest, I’m still a bit annoyed…but the people of this country have been really kind. If they need my help, then I want to help them, as much as I can.”

“…We are very grateful to you, Holy Maiden.”

Lexia bowed her head once more, and Mai stiffened again.

“I… I’m not a holy maiden or anything…! Oh, I never told you my name… I’m Mai Kagurazaka.”

“Huh?”

Lexia’s eyes widened when she heard this. Luna, too, looked shocked. Seeing their expressions, Mai tilted her head curiously.

“Um, what’s the matter…?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Your name sounds a bit like that of someone I know… Also, when I look closely, I see that your hair and eye color are similar as well…”

“Are you talking about Yuuya Tenjou, by chance?”

“You know Yuuya?!”

Lexia cried out in surprise at this.

King Orgis, watching this exchange, suddenly muttered something.

“Now that you mention it… Yuuya and the Holy Maiden… There is something quite similar about them…”

“Ah, yeah. We’re from the same hometown.”

“WHAT?”

Everyone in the room froze, staring at Mai.

…Unbeknownst to Yuuya, his secret had been well and truly revealed…

“…All in all…today was a truly amazing day.”

“Agreement. I am exhausted from all the revelations.”

Back home on Earth, we go over the events of the day and seem to be in agreement. Personally, I’m completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.

“Just when I was riding a high from finally besting Master Rabbit… And now there’s no one left to use my skills against.”

“Surprised. Ciel was incredibly strong. That skill… Could it be the Resurrection Attack?”

“It appears to be. Even Ouma doesn’t seem to know the details… But from what I’ve seen, each time the caster takes damage, they recover…and become stronger than before.”

“Devious. Overwhelmingly strong, and a nightmare for an opponent.”

“No doubt about that.”

As Yuti says, it would be nothing but a nightmare for anyone fighting against that. After all, whatever damage the opponent inflicted with their attacks would be nullified when the caster recovered, and the caster would get stronger and stronger each time. More terrifying than a zombie, I’d say.

“Well, no matter. Our battle against the Demons has come to an end. From here on out, I can kick back and take it easy in this world, and—”

Just as I’m mid-sentence…

…the whole house begins to shake violently.

“Wh-what?!”

“Confusion. No idea.”

Even Yuti doesn’t seem to know. We all grab hold of something and try to ride out the shaking. It’s like… It’s not like an earthquake, but more like the entire space is vibrating…

“Woof, woof!”

“Oiiink!

“Cheeep!”

“It seems like the space is…being distorted somehow…”

Night and Akatsuki and Ciel come quickly over to join us…

“Ouma, do you know what this shaking is?”

“Dunno. No idea. Is this some sort of Earth disaster?”

“No, no! We have earthquakes, but space doesn’t get distorted like this…!”

I mean, it’d be terrifying if it did. We endure the shaking for a while, but eventually it grows weaker, then stops altogether.

“Is—is it over?”

“Maybe. There’s no sign of any further shaking.”

When Yuti says this, I let out the breath I’ve been holding.

“Phew… Man… What was that?”

“Yuuya!”

“Huh?”

Yuti yelps my name, and I look at her dim-wittedly.

Yuti’s expression remains grim… Her eyes are fixed on something behind me. Is there something there? I turn around…

“What?”

For some reason, a pillar of light is pouring down from the ceiling.

However, there don’t appear to be any holes in the ceiling itself. As I stand there stunned, staring at the pillar of light, something descends from the top of the pillar.

“Wh-who’s there?”

“Hmm?”

When Ouma sees what’s coming down, he chuckles…but I’m far less relaxed.

Because what comes down from the sky…is a girl… A girl the likes of which I’ve never seen in either world.

She looks to be about my age, but with vibrant blue hair and equally blue eyes. Little lights, resembling constellations, seem to be moving and sparkling all over her.

The girl, covered with that mysterious light, lands quietly on the floor of my house and then looks around at us.

Finally…she speaks.

“I know the blueprints are here. Please, just hand them over.”

“The… The blueprints?”

“Confusion. Yuuya, do you understand what she’s saying?”

“Huh? You mean you don’t know, Yuti?”

“Affirmative.”

Though I’m surprised, I soon realize I’m only able to understand what the girl’s saying because of my Language Comprehension skill. Seeing that I’m not about to respond in any way that’s satisfactory, the girl speaks again.

“I’m warning you. Please obediently hand over the blueprints. If you do not, I will destroy this planet.”

“What?! Destroy the Earth?!” I yelp, alarmed by her threat.

But the girl’s face is very serious indeed.

“Ours is a much more advanced civilization than yours. It would be no problem for us to destroy this planet.”

“Wait! I just want to confirm something… Are you…an alien?”

That’s my guess, from this conversation, but just to be sure…

“An alien… Certainly, from the perspective of the people of this planet, that would be accurate. Whoops… I was in such a rush, I didn’t introduce myself.”

The girl who’d just admitted to being an alien bows her head respectfully.

“I’m from the planet Eimel, and my name is Meruru. Please, return the blueprints.”

Meruru from the planet Eimel…lifts her head.

“I—I mean… You want blueprints back? I don’t even know what you’re talking about… What blueprints?”

Meruru’s eyes flick down to a rectangular device affixed to her arm.

“…Based on your heart rate and brain waves, you are not attempting to lie… All right, then. I’ll explain.”

It seems like the device on her arm can tell if someone’s lying or not. W-wow, the universe really is amazing. A portable lie detector…

“The blueprints make it possible for certain things to be created… Things that represent the long-cherished wish of the people of my planet, Eimel.

“A long-cherished wish?”

“…Those living on this peaceful planet may not realize this, but in this vast universe, terrible interstellar wars are quite commonplace. Onceupon a time, our planet was invaded and was on the verge of defeat… Around that time, our planet began developing anti-celestial body annihilation weapons in order to fight back against the invaders.”

Anti-celestial body annihilation weapons? What an ominous name…

“However, there was an incident, and the blueprints were in danger of being stolen by the enemy. So our ancestors sealed them away in a certain object and released them into the vast universe to make sure they never fell into the wrong hands.”

Yikes, this sounds way too expansive an issue for me, and I want nothing to do with it…but Meruru is staring right at me as she speaks. I’m just an ordinary guy, though… What does any of this have to do with me?

“And then…ten thousand years passed.”

“Ten thousand years?!”

Why is everything she’s saying on such a huge scale?! What am I supposed to do about any of this?

“For ten thousand years, we’ve managed to hold off the invasion… But recently, the enemy planet has created a new kind of biological weapon, and once again, we are in danger. Then we sensed that the seal on the blueprints put there by our ancestors is on the verge of being broken open.”

“It’s what now?”

“As I said, the weapons left behind by our ancestors are our last hope. But if they fall into enemy hands, it will mean the destruction of our planet. If the enemy planet gets our blueprints and develops the weapons, our planet will be annihilated. So our ancestors devised a special kind of seal on the blueprints. In order to break the seal, you need the life force of several tens of thousands of people. And those people need to have an appropriate amount of magical power as well. I do not sense that power on this planet, so while it seems that magical power is indeed in effect here, I could not ascertain the corpses of tens of thousands of people, so it is doubtful if the seal has been truly broken… Anyway, and either way, I have come here in a hurry to collect them. It would be a big problem if they fell into the hands of the enemy, as I have said.”

The more I hear about this, the scarier it becomes! And the scale is too vast for me to comprehend!

“I’m done explaining. Please hand over the blueprints immediately.”

“Um… I’m sorry, but I don’t know what these blueprints are, so I can’t really return them to you… But Meruru, you think the blueprints are in this house? How do you know?”

“Well… We were able to sense the electromagnetic waves coming from them. But there’s some interference from something we think is stored with them. The waves are mixed with all sorts of distorted, swirling forces. So we can’t determine their exact location.”

“Hmm?”

I’m not sure, but based on her description, I think they might be…in the warehouse…? There are a lot of strange things lying around there, and although Ouma enjoys it in there, Yuti’s scared and never wants to go in. That’s how dangerous it seems. Although I may be totally wrong, of course. I mean, I’m not exactly the smartest guy around.

“What do the blueprints look like?”

“The blueprints themselves are preserved as holograms, so they have no physical form, but they are sealed in a stone box made of Cosmonium, the hardest material in the universe. In terms of size, it’s about this big, and cubic in shape.”

“…Hmm?”

“Ah…,” Ouma lets out an odd sound.

The thing Meruru’s describing rings a bell…

I look at Ouma and see that he appears to be sweating and squirming…? Unusual for him…

“…Ouma? What’s wrong?”

“N-n-nothing!!!” Ouma looks incredibly antsy. Or maybe Ouma, who’s usually so laid-back, just isn’t good at hiding his emotions at times like this. He must know something… But before I can speak, Ouma starts digging his own grave, even though no one asked. “I—I was just killing time in that warehouse, playing around, and I accidentally used my magical power on a mysterious object that was there… I mean, yeah right! Wouldn’t it be funny if that actually happened?!”

“…Pathetic.”

“Woof…”

“Oink…”

Yuti gazes at Ouma with pity… Night looks confused, and Akatsuki raises a piggy eyebrow.

Only Ciel remains unfazed by the situation and continues to sleep on my shoulder. But then again, Ciel’s kind of a big deal. A lot like Akatsuki.

More importantly…

“Erm…”

“Everyone. It seems you know where the blueprints are. Now. Tell me, right away.”

Seeing the grim look on Meruru’s face, I gulp.

…We’d just dealt with the ultimate Demon in the other world… Now, it looks like I’ve gotten caught up in some major cosmic conflict! It seems like it’s still going to be a while until I finally get some decent rest…

Afterword

Thank you for purchasing this light novel.

I’m Miku, the author.

With each new volume, I always think, “Is it seriously up to Volume # now?” It’s all thanks to you, the readers. Thank you very much.

Well, as for the story in this volume… I think the other world arc has finally come to an end with the seventh volume. At the end of the final battle with Avis, the Ultimate Demon, I’m afraid I may have lapsed into my bad habit again. But oh well.

Now that he’s finally free from the looming threat of the Demons, Yuuya has time to enjoy a few leisurely sightseeing trips to the other world…although alas, we can’t permit him that, since the next incident is already afoot.

A shame, isn’t it?

I’m sure you’re scratching your head, wondering why this has happened…but don’t worry.

As the author, I too am scratching my head.

Each time I sit down to write, I think about what I must do to make certain events happen, and I think about what’s going to happen next… But even I, the writer, don’t have that much control over it as I write… And then before I know it, the book’s finished.

Perhaps it’s time I got more involved in the development of the story… But I also think it’s fun to let the story simply flow through me. Ultimately, I think I’ll continue in this vein for at least a while longer.

As a result, I find myself scratching my head with confusion each time I sit down to write the next volume.

That said, there is one part of the story that expresses my unconscious desires. By which I mean the animals that belong to Yuuya’s family. This time, Ciel appears as a new family member. It seems I still long for an animal family. I’d love to live with a family of animals like Night and co. one day…

Moving on, I’d like to thank the editor who, once again, helped me create this volume. I’d like to thank Rein Kuwashima, whose wonderful illustrations have elevated this piece of work. And once again, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all the readers who have picked up this volume and enjoyed it.

Thank you very much.

Well, see you next time.

Miku